


The League (Phan AU)

by astronautpjm



Series: The League Series [1]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), Ereri - Fandom, Phan, Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Crimes & Criminals, Everyone Is Gay, Gay, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-07-10 06:35:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 53
Words: 50,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6970156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astronautpjm/pseuds/astronautpjm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The League of Specially Trained Individuals is a global criminal group who work in the shadows. They never get caught and they never leave a trace.<br/>Dan Howell and Phil Lester were trained to fight and die for the League, but when Dan's father tries to make their lives a living hell and Phil questions his allegiance, things will go awry and no one will be safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Dan's POV

Outside the leaves were just beginning to turn orange. I could see the trees rustling in the autumn wind. There were kids in the street, throwing a ball and running around. I wanted to be them. I wanted nothing more than to be normal. My body turned as someone swung open my bedroom door. A skinny boy with pale blue eyes stuck his head in. He was wearing Spider-Man pajamas, and his ginger hair was a mess.

"Dan?" the boy half-whispered.

"Phil? What's wrong?" I replied.

"Your dad wants you downstairs," he answered, his voice louder now. I sighed and got up from my seat, following Phil into the hallway. We clambered down the stairs and into the kitchen, where my father sat at the table. His face was hidden behind a newspaper, and my mum was cooking at the stove.

"Sit down boys," my father chuckled. Phil plopped down in a chair, and I sat beside him. It had been a few weeks since Phil's parents had died. He had no relatives to stay with, so he was stuck with us. I was happy my best friend got to live with me, but I wasn't happy for him. He had no idea what happened in our lives.

"So, boys, you coming downtown with me today?" my father asked, setting his newspaper on the table.

"What's downtown?" Phil asked, and I wanted to tell him to not ask, to not get involved, but I couldn't.

My father smiled, "You'll see, Phil. Dan knows it well, don't you, kiddo?"

I nodded, taking a sip of the orange juice my mum had just set down for me. I looked over at my little brother. How I missed being oblivious to the world. I wished I could be a child again.

\----

After breakfast I got dressed and stood with my dad at the door, waiting for Phil to come downstairs. When he was ready to go I climbed into the backseat of my dad's grey car. "Hold on boys, I forgot something."

He jogged back inside, and I knew what he was missing. I looked over at Phil, who looked content and excited. I mentally sighed, he was in for a surprise. My father came back outside, carrying a briefcase that he threw in the boot of the car. Then he sat behind the wheel and backed out of the driveway.

I watched the familiar buildings fly by my window. When I looked over at Phil he had a smile plastered on his face, and I offered him one in return, not really sure if he could tell that it wasn't sincere.

My father soon turned the car down an alley, and I saw Phil's face scrunch up in confusion. "Almost there," my father announced. He drove down the alley that seemed to never end, making a few turns before we were in an abandoned parking lot. Across the lot was a warehouse, the windows were all gone and the paint was fading. In the distance I could see buildings rising up against the sky.

I followed my father to the warehouse, Phil tagging behind. He looked scared, and I wanted nothing more than to tell him everything was fine, but it truly wasn't.

My father pulled open the door, stepping aside to let us in first. I looked at Phil and led him inside. He looked around at the place, flinching at the sound of a gun going off. "Phil," my father said. "Welcome to the Hideout."

"W-what is this place?" Phil stuttered.

"Let me show you, come on." My father started walking toward the gun range, my heart breaking at how scared Phil looked. I stood beside him, slipping my hand into his. I gave him a reassuring squeeze, our fingers intertwining, then we started following my father.

"Don! Nice to see you here," a man around my father's age said. He hugged my father, slapping his back in a friendly way. "Dan, you've gotten big! How old are you now?"

I swallowed and managed to reply. "Eleven, sir." I rubbed my sweaty palms on my pants. Phil and I were no longer holding hands.

"Who's this?" He asked with a smile at Phil.

"This is Phil, he's staying with my family, and I figured he'd make a good addition 'round here," my father answered.

"Well, it's great to meet you, I'll see you later."

Then he walked away, leaving us alone with my father again. He picked up a gun and started loading bullets into it. Phil watched him, seemingly scared of the object. My father pointed the gun at the target, pulling the trigger. Phil jumped backward as it went off, my heart ached at the look on his face.

"Dan? You want to show Phil how good you've gotten?"

I didn't want to, I didn't want my best friend to think I was monster, but then again, I was already becoming one, wasn't I?

I swallowed my fear and stepped up to the gun, loading it up with the shiny bullets. I held it out in front of me like I'd been taught, placing my free hand underneath for support. I looked over the top of the gun, focusing on the red circle at the center of the target. Finally, I squeezed the trigger, one bullet flying out after another until there was none left. I put the gun down, looking at the target, seeing that most of the bullets hit the center, the others were only slightly off. My heart swelled with pride, but I didn't realize that maybe that's something you shouldn't be proud of.

Phil looked so scared, and I cursed myself for causing that fear. "Phil," my father said. "Want to give it a go?"

I shook my head, hoping he'd know he didn't have to. Phil wasn't one to look weak, however, so he nodded slightly, and stepped up with my father to shoot the gun.


	2. Chapter 2

Phil could hear the faucet running from the kitchen, which meant Dan was home. He kept his eyes closed, too comfy and warm to bother getting up. He hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep.  
He listened to the sounds Dan made, the creaking of his footsteps as he came into the living room. Phil felt Dan's soft lips press against his forehead, and he couldn't keep a soft smile from forming on his face. Dan squeezed his way in between Phil and the back of the sofa. Phil's heart swelled feeling him laying next to him.  
"You awake, Philly?" Dan whispered, his breath tickling Phil's ear.  
"Mhm," Phil replied. "How was your day? I missed you, I hate when you have meetings all day."  
"I do too, but I'm about to get something really big. It could make us a lot of money."  
"That's good, maybe we could take a holiday. Go somewhere nice for a week."  
"I would love to."  
Dan planted one more kiss to the back of Phil's head before they both drifted off into a cozy sleep.  
-  
Dan's eyes popped open, and his first instinct was to jump up and look for whatever was causing the noise. Instead, he stayed put for a moment, listening closely and realizing it was just his phone. The vibrations always caused a loud, annoying noise. He reached out, careful not to wake Phil, and answered the call.  
"Hello?"  
"Dan?" A familiar voice replied.  
"Tyler? What's up?"  
Tyler was quiet for a moment, but eventually he spoke again. "I'm coming to London for a few weeks. Can I crash at your place?"  
"Of course, we don't mind, you know that Tyler."  
"Thanks, I owe you. I'll see you soon, I'm getting on the plane now."  
"Alright, see you."  
Dan listened as Tyler ended the call and he set his phone aside. He looked down and saw Phil was awake now.  
"Who was that?" Phil asked him, rubbing his eyes sleepily.  
"Tyler, he's coming to London and needs a place to stay."  
Phil nodded. "Anyone else coming to town?"  
"I think so. The thing I was talking about, the one that will make us a lot of money? It's a big operation. I bet the League is calling in as many people as they need for it."  
"What exactly is it?" Phil asked, sitting up so he was face to face with his boyfriend.  
"I'm not entirely sure, but I know it has to do with a heist."  
Phil picked up his phone, turning it on and glancing at the screen. "What do you want for dinner?"  
"Let's just get takeaway," Dan replied, wrapping his arms around Phil and resting his head on his shoulder.  
-  
Dan stood leaning against the counter, checking his phone every few minutes to avoid anything awkward. He had reluctantly agreed to go out and get the food, leaving Phil to get the table cleaned off. Dan knew he'd probably get home and have to do it himself, but that was just why he loved Phil.  
He started looking around the place, noticing everything, like he had been trained too. He noticed the fidgety movements of the girl in the corner, the old couple having a laugh, and the guy outside smoking a cigarette. The cigarette guy seemed to be glancing at Dan every now and then, which Dan figured must be causing his gut feeling of being watched.  
"Here's your food, sir," a voice said behind him. Dan turned, gave a small smile to the employee, and grabbed the food. The bell above the door chimed as he exited onto the busy London street. The cold air instantly hitting his face in a harsh gust of wind. He started walking back down the road, heading back where Phil was waiting in the warmth of their home. He stuck his phone in his pocket, using his now free hand to zipper up his coat.  
Dan couldn't help but feel eyes watching him. He tended to be paranoid out in public, but this time it didn't feel like just a natural instinct. He panicked as he felt someone tap his shoulder. Dan turned around quickly, seeing a face he hadn't seen in a long  
time. He followed the guy into an alley, his curiosity growing with each passing second.  
"Ashton?" Dan questioned. "What the hell is going on? You guys went missing a few months ago..."  
"My partners and I, we found some things..." Ashton began.  
"What do you mean? Found what?" Dan interrupted. Ashton took a step back from the taller man, whose face twisted in evident anger.  
"The League isn't good, Dan," Ashton said cautiously.  
"No shit, we commit murder every other day. What's your point, Irwin?"  
"It's corrupt. People on the inside are not who they say they are. You and Phil should get out while you can."  
"I think we can handle ourselves. Thanks for the heads up, but we'll be fine. Go back to your boyfriend and your other Australian friends before I decide to be more of a problem to you."  
Ashton sighed and ran off, his dirty blonde hair bouncing atop his head. Dan shook his head and started back on his path home.  
-  
"What took you so long?" Phil asked as Dan walked in the door.  
"You remember the four Australian guys who work for the League?" Dan replied as he set the food on the table and removed his coat. Phil nodded. "Ashton said the League is corrupt. Something about people on the inside not being who they say they are and loads of crap."  
"Wouldn't be surprised," Phil said as he sat down.  
"What?"  
"Come on, Dan, there's no way everyone in the League is fully loyal. I'm sure someone has some plan to do something against it."  
"I guess you're right."  
"Is Ashton still with Luke?" Phil asked.  
"I don't know, I didn't get much time for catching up."  
"They were a cute couple. So were the other two, Michael and Calum, I think were their names."  
"Not as cute as us, though," Dan replied with a wink, causing Phil's cheeks to turn pink and the corners of his mouth to turn up in a smile.


	3. Chapter 3

The morning dawned in its usual way, sunlight streaking through the crack in the curtains and warming Dan's face. He turned over to face Phil, whose face was relaxed and deep in sleep. Dan smiled to himself, content to just lay there for hours. Instead, he gently lifted the covers and went into the kitchen, deciding what he should make them for breakfast.  
Dan had just finished making everything when Phil padded into the room, sleepy and cute the way Dan adored. They shared a quick kiss before sitting down to enjoy their food.  
"Any plans today?" Phil asked his boyfriend, taking a bite of his toast.  
"More meetings, and I have to train some newbies. You can come along if you want."  
"Okay, Tyler should be here soon, right?"  
Dan nodded. "He'll probably come as well."  
"That's what she said," Phil mumbled. Dan laughed and rolled his eyes.  
-  
When Tyler arrived he set his suitcase in the guest bedroom and then left with the two for the Hideout. It was in desperate need of renovation, but no one thought it was a good idea to fix it at all. If they did it might blow their cover.  
Inside there were people all over the room, hitting punching bags or other people. Some greeted them as they walked through, others looked in the other direction. Dan knew people either loved or hated him, it was a trait he had acquired from his father.  
The three jogged up the steel staircase to their boss's office. Dan was not afraid of the pudgy man, he was merely a pawn in a bigger game. He probably had five bosses telling him what to do.  
"Ah boys, good to see you, especially you Philip," he greeted. Phil only smiled in reply.  
"Where are the newbies?" Dan asked, wanting to get to it.  
"Gun range, doing nothing at the moment," he replied.  
"Great. Come on, Phil."  
The two left the office, nodding to Tyler as they went. They descended the stairs, scanning the room for his trainees. He found a group of seven teens right where the boss had said they would be. They looked frightened and well, emo. The only two girls in the group had hair dyed vibrant colors.  
"I'm Dan Howell, I will be your instructor. This is my partner, Phil Lester."  
The group stood up and got in a line, military like until you saw their posture. The League wasn't one for formalities though. They were assassins, not a militia.  
"Tell me your names," Dan commanded, looking into the eyes of the first kid who had messy blonde hair and a lanky body. "Bryan Stars."  
Dan continued on until the end of the line, making sure to remember the names of his trainees.  
"We'll start with the basics, the guns," he explained, leading them over to the gun range. "You'll each start with a simple hand gun. Hold your gun like so, using your other hand as support. Keep your fingers off the trigger until you're ready to fire."  
Phil watched Dan walk between them, helping them hold the guns right and improve their aim. He looked so much like his father when he taught, and sometimes it scared Phil. Dan's father was ruthless and cold hearted, the type of person Dan could easily be if he wanted.  
The noises of gunfire filled the air, bringing Phil back to a time and place he didn't want to be in. He took a few steps forward and tapped Dan's shoulder, his boyfriend's eyes cold until they softened at the sight of him.  
"I... I have to..."  
Dan nodded, pulling Phil into his embrace. "I'll be up when we're done," Dan whispered in his ear. Phil left Dan's grip to go up the stairs, opening the door to a room he sat in way too often. It was the only room in the whole warehouse that cancelled out the noise of whatever was going on outside.  
The flashbacks started, and Phil sat down quickly. He had only been fourteen... Too young to be there... Too unskilled... Too afraid...  
He snapped his head up when he heard someone come through the door. There stood a scrawny girl with blue hair, looking at him with her soft, green eyes. Phil noticed his hands were shaking and he looked away.  
"It's okay," she said, sitting on the worn out leather sofa beside him. "I get them too sometimes."  
Phil looked at her, recognizing her as one of Dan's recruits. "How'd you get away from Dan?" Phil asked her.  
"I'm sneaky," she shrugged. "It's why the League hired me."  
They sat in silence for a moment, but it wasn't awkward. It was actually quite comfortable and calming, exactly what Phil needed. The door burst open, interrupting the quiet. Dan was there, wild eyes searching the room.  
"Phil? Oh, there you are Alex," he said, surprisingly calm. He must have liked the girl.  
"I should probably get back to my friends," Alex said, getting up with a quick smile at Phil. She slipped past Dan who then came into the room and sat beside his boyfriend, taking his hand.  
"Sorry about that," Dan sighed, running his free hand through his hair.  
"Don't be, it's no one's fault," Phil assured him.  
"No... Everything is someone's fault. My dad's orders caused your anxiety around gunfire, it's his fault."  
"You can't just blame everything on people, Dan. You have to learn to just let some things go."  
Dan sighed in defeat, taking out his phone to check the time. "Almost time for the meeting, come on."  
The two left the quiet room and went into the office again. A large map of London had been set up at the table in the center. Dan's eyes scanned the map, seeing several banks circled in red. Tyler was soon at Dan's side.  
"This is big," Tyler said, just loud enough for Dan to hear.  
"Yeah," Dan agreed. People starting filing into the room, standing around the table. Their boss came in finally, followed by a short, scrawny boy, and stood with him at the head of the table.  
"I know we've been very secretive about this operation, but it's finally time for you all to be briefed on the plan," the boss began. "You will all be split into two teams, one for each bank on this street." He pointed to one of the roads on the map.  
"Team 1 will be led by Howell. Lester, Oakley, Sugg, and Lee are on that one along with my son. This is his first mission, so I'm hoping he makes a good impression."  
Dan nodded to the kid, who looked nervously around the room. He ran a hand through his messy, brown hair and kept his gaze on his shoes.  
"Team 2 will be led by Chapman. Burr, Butler, Smart, Deyes, and the older Sugg will be on that team. The goal of your mission is to steal as much cash as possible. There's no limit and no goal, just as much as possible. Don't get caught and bring the cash to the docks, you'll see our ship and they'll take your load."  
"When is it?" someone asked. Dan looked over and saw it was Marcus Butler who had spoken.  
"Two weeks. You'll be told when to report here and your team will be given a truck and all the equipment you'll need. You're all dismissed."  
The room erupted into chatter as the head left. His son stayed behind, and joined Dan with the rest of their team.  
Tyler looked at the group and laughed. "Looks like they put all the gays on the same team," he chuckled. "Unless you're not..." He continued, looking to the boss's son.  
"No... I am actually," he said, earning a chuckle all throughout the group.  
"Your dad probably thought you'd fit best with us," Sugg, or Joe, said to him.  
-  
"Howell, Lester, wait up!" Someone called behind them. The boys had left after everyone else, ready to curl up in bed together and just relax. They turned around and saw the second in command jogging to them. He was only in his thirties, and of similar build and height as Dan.  
"Boss has got a small mission for you two," he said, handing them a manila folder when he had caught up to them. "They want it done by next week."  
"Alright, we'll take care of it," Dan said, turning away to leave, cursing under his breath. They couldn't go one week without a task to do for the League.  
On the way home they caught up to Tyler and walked the rest of the way with him.  
-  
The sun had finally set below the horizon and Dan climbed under the covers next to Phil. Their body heat helped keep them extra warm as they drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

When Dan awoke that morning he left his bedroom to find it was much earlier than he liked. Phil probably wouldn't be up for hours, and the same with Tyler. His bare feet didn't even flinch as they came in contact with the cold floor, but Dan wrapped his arms around his bare torso to keep from shivering.  
He decided to look at the folder he had been given that would tell him what his mission was. Inside was a dossier of a man named Wilford Avery. He was of Indian descent, and had been a scientist before turning to the black market for money. His specialty was bombs. Dan looked for his job description, finding only a note with the words "do your thing." His "thing" was torturing until information came out. The League wanted to know who he had sold a certain bomb to.  
As Dan closed the folder he heard the padding of footsteps. He looked up and was greeted by the sight of Phil. Dan watched him walk to the counter and start making himself breakfast.  
"I read the info for our mission," Dan told him as he sat across from him. Phil replied with a nod as he ate a spoonful of cereal. "I was thinking we could just get it over with tonight."  
"Sounds good, what do we have to do?"  
"Make the bird squawk," Dan replied. The sentence was their code word for Dan's specialty. It wasn't a good ability, but one Dan was proud of. His father hadn't him taught him that, and that's what made it better than any other skill he had. His father could skillfully shoot a gun and kill a person in a hundred different ways, but he couldn't torture someone. His victim would always die before he got the information he needed. Dan didn't know why he could do it so well. Maybe it was a mix of skills from what his father had taught him, or maybe he was just a complete psychopath. Dan wanted it to be the first option, but he knew better.  
-  
Dan and Phil went with Tyler to the Hideout, splitting with him when they saw their trainees huddled together near the gun range.  
The young recruits all stood up and formed a line when they saw the two coming near. Phil smiled at Alex, the small, blue haired girl who sat with him the day before.  
"We're starting hand to hand combat today," Dan said to them, watching each of their faces. The other girl in the group, who had half her hair dyed green, smirked at the announcement. "Pair up and follow us to the mats."  
Dan stood with Phil on the matted surface. Once the trainees were lined up he turned to Phil, both of them raising their fists and squaring their shoulders.  
"Allow us to demonstrate a good fight," Dan said, smirking at his partner. When they were young one of their favorite activities was fighting one another hand to hand, face to face. It usually led to them passionately making out in the showers as they washed away the sweat and blood.  
Since Dan was the biggest of the two, Phil always punched first. He swung his fist at Dan's face, but the blow was blocked by Dan's arm. In return Dan used his free hand to punch Phil's side, earning a grunt from both of them.  
Phil kicked Dan's legs out from under him, and when he was on the floor Phil kicked him again in the stomach. Dan grabbed at Phil's legs, and pulled him down to the floor with him.  
The two rolled around the floor, trying to be on top. Phil found himself with the upper hand, and he pinned Dan's arms above his head. He used his feet to pin Dan's legs down.  
Their faces were just inches from each other. They could feel each other's heavy breathing. Dan smiled slightly as he looked up at Phil's face.  
"It's weird seeing you on top," Dan joked, earning an eye roll from Phil who got off of him and helped him up. They turned to the trainees, each of them watching them differently. The blue haired girl was smiling softly.  
"Your turn," Dan said to them.  
-  
As midnight arrived Dan and Phil left their home for the League's garage. They rented out a black van with no license plate and headed to the place Wilford Avery, they were hoping, would be found.  
They camped in the van for a few minutes before they saw the man walking down the sidewalk. Dan climbed into the back of the van, pulling his mask over his face. He opened the doors up wide, spilling some chloroform onto a cloth.  
When Avery stepped a few feet from Dan, he jumped out from behind the van and grabbed the man. He wrestled with him, the guy trying to wiggle free from Dan's grasp. He quickly placed the cloth over his mouth and nose. Soon Avery grew limp in his arms and Phil ran out of the van to help Dan get him into the back.  
-  
They had driven to an abandoned parking garage, where they tied Avery to a chair and set up Dan's tools on either side. As the man started to wake up Dan took position in front of him. Phil stood behind Dan, not too close to where everything would go on in case he had to slip away. Large amounts of blood made him uneasy sometimes.  
"Where am I?" Avery asked when he completely opened his eyes.  
"That's not important," Dan replied shortly. "I need you to answer every question I ask you."  
"And if I don't?" the man challenged.  
"Look to your right," Dan answered. "Or to your left. Either work."  
"I'm not going to tell you anything."  
"We'll see about that."  
Dan shot a glance at Phil, who nodded in response. Dan picked up a knife from the table to his right, twirling it nonchalantly. He looked at the man through hooded eyes and in one quick motion, brought the knife right to the man's neck. He held there, right where he wouldn't prick the man's skin.  
Phil looked away. There were two things he hated about these kind of jobs: the blood, and Dan. His boyfriend could be a different person sometimes. He could be ruthless and cold, which he wasn't usually. Dan was sweet and a good partner, who spoiled Phil to no end. Phil loved him, but not when he was like his father. The day Phil moved in with the Howells was the day his life changed forever.  
Dan's dad had always scared Phil somewhat when he was young. He had an air about him that made him seem like someone you didn't want to cross. At home he appeared like a normal father, but at the Hideout he changed. He would scream and hit Dan and Phil, always trying to get them to be better. The man's standards affected Dan more, but his methods did more to Phil.  
Phil had grown afraid of the man's eyes, so full of rage and hatred. He had grown afraid of his limbs, for when they reached out it was never for a good reason. He had even grown afraid of his voice, that was always too loud, or too angry.  
As Phil stepped out into the fresh air he let the cold surround him. He let it embrace his face and clean him of the blistering heat on the inside.  
It felt like forever, the time that he stood there, staring at the stars, but it was only half an hour or so. Phil didn't hear Dan come outside, so it startled him when he spoke.  
"I got it," Dan said. Phil quickly turned his head, relaxing when he saw it was only him. "I got the name we needed."  
Phil looked his boyfriend up and down. His hands were covered in blood, so Phil kept his gaze on his face. It was angry, maybe determined, but not anything Phil was afraid of. In reply he nodded to Dan, and Phil went to the van to wait for him.  
-  
The next part of the mission was to retrieve the bomb. Phil wasn't sure why the League would want it, but he was positive it wasn't for a good reason.  
After taking their first victim to the Clean-Up Crew the two drove to their next destination. They were both doing the dirty work this time, and so they parked a block away from the home where the bomb supposedly was being kept.  
From the back of the van they each took a rifle, the large gun never ceasing to make Phil nervous. He couldn't pull the trigger, if he did he'd hear that dreadful sound. That loud noise that sentenced someone to death.  
Phil shook away all his anxieties and pulled his mask down over his face. With Dan by his side, he had to believe that everything would go according to plan.  
Stealthily the two crept to the front door of the two story house. It was the kind of house Phil imagined him and Dan buying in the future, when they settled down and started getting ready to start a family.  
Phil kneeled down so he was eye level with the door knob. He might not have been good at many criminal skills, but he was very good at picking locks. Whenever the violence became too much he'd go sit with the nice instructor lady who taught him hundreds of ways to pick locks.  
Once the door was unlocked, Phil stepped back and let Dan lead the way. They both kept their guns trained ahead of them. The house was lit, like someone was home.  
They passed through the kitchen and living room, finding no one. Their first priority was to secure anyone that was in the house. After sweeping the first floor, Phil followed Dan up the stairs to the second. Dan listened closely, opening every door they came across. Through the next one he could hear rustling. He signaled to Phil and they got on either side of the door. Dan turned and swung it open running in and pointing his gun at the first thing he saw.  
A man was sitting on the bed, and the room was a mess. He held his hands up in surrender, smirking at the sight of the two.  
"I knew the League would find me," he said.  
"Where's the bomb?" Dan demanded.  
"Quick to the point, eh? Did the League send their best for this one? I didn't think I was so important."  
"Tell us where the bomb is, and I let you go."  
"Don't threaten me with my life. It's not something I value a lot."  
"Go look for it," Dan said to Phil. He nodded and left the room to search for the item. "Where were we?"  
Dan closed the door and slipped off his mask. He walked closer to the man, who lowered his arms and looked Dan in the eyes.  
"You look just like your father," the man smirked.  
"My father?" Dan questioned.  
"Had the pleasure of meeting him almost twenty years ago. You look a lot like him."  
"Much to my disadvantage," Dan replied, earning a chuckle from the man.  
"I'm sure you're just like him, too," the man said.  
"That's where you're wrong," Dan said with a shake of his head.  
"I can see it in your eyes, you're one and the same."  
"No, we're not."  
The door opened behind them, but Dan was boiling over with rage.  
"I bet you even kill just as nonchalantly as he," the man continued  
"I. Am. Not. My. Father."  
The man laughed, turning gears inside Dan's brain. He yelled a long cry and pulled the trigger of his gun, firing more than enough rounds at the man.  
When he stopped shooting he stood for a moment, thinking about what he had just done. He heard whimpers coming from behind him and his heart broke at the sight of Phil.  
Dan's boyfriend had his hands to his ears, and his eyes shut. Soft noises came from him, and Dan quickly ran to him to hold him in his arms.  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." He whispered in Phil's ear again and again.  
They stayed there until the uniformed Clean-Up Crew started coming into the room. Dan tried to coax Phil off the floor, but when he refused to stand up Dan picked him up like he was a toddler and carried him to the van.


	5. Chapter 5

Phil was angry with Dan. Once he had come to and was back in reality he stopped talking to him. He knew he couldn't keep it up forever, but he could try.  
Tyler was off on a date that afternoon with the boss's son, Troye, which left the two alone on their walk to the warehouse. The silence between them was deafening. Dan wanted to say something, anything, but he knew it was futile. Phil wouldn't give in until he was ready.  
The warehouse was busy today. It was filled with faces neither of the two had seen before. "Hey boys," a voice with a heavy, British accent said from behind them. They turned around and were met with a face they hadn't seen in a long time.  
"Kathleen Simmons," Dan chuckled, embracing he and Phil's childhood friend. Phil did the same, his smile never waning.  
"How was Budapest, Katie?" Phil asked, using the nickname she reserved for only her closest friends.  
"Full of excitement, as usual," Katie replied.  
"I thought we agreed to not talk about Budapest," a man said, coming up behind them and placing his hand on her shoulder. Katie flicked his hand away, glaring at him.  
"I'm Alexander Jackson," he said, holding out his hand for the two.  
"Dan Howell," Dan replied, shaking his hand.  
"The Dan Howell? I didn't know Katie had famous friends," he chuckled.  
"Don't call me that," Katie groaned.  
"I'm not famous," Dan objected.  
"But you are. Everyone knows who you are. You're the son of one of the best League members ever to live," Alexander explained.  
"Great killer, but not that great a father," Phil said.  
"Phil Lester, right? The boy the Howells took in? You're quite famous as well. More for that break down on your first mission though."  
"Don't talk to my boyfriend like that," Dan spat, stepping in front of Phil.  
Alexander smirked. "I forgot you two were a thing. It's actually quite adorable."  
"Go pick on someone else," Katie said, shoving Alexander's shoulder. He turned on his heel, leaving the three alone, much to each of their relief.  
"Is he your mission partner?" Phil asked her. She nodded.  
"I hate him with every fiber of my being, but I have to be with him wherever I go. You know how assassin families work, arranged marriages and all that crap. He's my boyfriend, and it makes me want to vomit just saying it."  
"I'm sorry," Phil replied.  
"Yeah, he's an asshole," Dan added.  
Katie laughed. "Thanks guys, I'm going to mingle around, try and stay away from him. See you guys around."  
-  
Katie turned away from her childhood friends and looked around for anyone else she knew. To her luck, Joe Sugg stood only a few feet away. She quickly made her way over, hoping her - how do you put this nicely - asshole of a boyfriend didn't notice where she went.  
"Joseph," she said as she came into his view. Katie had forgotten how attractive her good friend was.  
"Katie!" Joe exclaimed. "How've you been?" The two embraced in a short hug. Katie felt her insides melting at his touch.  
"Good, good, and you?"  
"Brilliant, yeah. Oh! Caspar!"  
Joe turned and tapped a tall blonde boy on the shoulder. The boy, who Katie figured was Caspar, smiled at her and down at Joe.  
"Caspar, this is Katie, and Katie this is my boyfriend Caspar," Joe beamed.  
"Oh, you're ga-" Katie began, disappointment flooding her whole being.  
"Bisexual," Joe interrupted. Katie nodded.  
"Nice to meet you, Caspar," Katie said with a half-hearted smile.  
-  
Dan gave the trainees the day off, telling them to snoop around and talk to some pros that where at the warehouse today. Dan then went with Phil to a secluded area of the warehouse, the two just enjoying each other's presence.  
"I'm sorry," Phil said finally, breaking the long silence.  
"For what? You have nothing to be sorry about," Dan replied. Phil nodded, burying his head in the crook of Dan's neck.  
"I want to get better," Phil said. "I want to not be afraid anymore."  
"No one can just get rid of fear Phil," Dan answered, wrapping his arm around him.  
"You do it."  
"I don't completely get rid of my fear, Philly. I just ignore it."  
"Then teach me how to do it. I don't want to be afraid anymore Dan."  
"Okay... I'll try."


	6. Chapter 6

The big day was growing near. With only a week to go both Dan and Phil knew how hectic the Hideout would be. Every day it seemed to grow busier and busier.  
Dan stared at his reflection, aimlessly messing with his hair every few seconds. He watched Phil step inside the bathroom in the mirror. Phil wrapped his arms around Dan's waist and rested his chin on his shoulder.  
"Are you sure we should go to this party? It's not really my style..." Dan said to his boyfriend.  
"Nonsense! It'll be good to get out and have some fun," Phil argued. Dan nodded, deciding to keep his pessimistic thoughts about the ordeal to himself.  
There was a reason he stayed away from social events; he just couldn't stomach them. He wasn't a people person, most likely because of how many people were afraid of him. It was just another thing to put on the list of terrible traits his father had given him.  
The boys got a car with Tyler to the party, which was being held at the Chapman's place. Jim and Tanya were one of many League couples that had family history in the organization. Even Jim's young niece was beginning training.  
The moment they stepped inside they were greeted with loud chatter. Dan grimaced, wanting desperately to be back home cuddled up in bed with Phil. Instead he followed his boyfriend deeper into the madness.  
They found Jim and Tanya and said their hellos. Dan's only happiness came from Phil's smile that seemed to fill the whole room with sunshine. It was a quality that, no matter what shit Phil went through, never went away.  
"Wow, Daniel Howell at a party?" Katie's voice said. Dan turned to face her. She was holding a plate that lots of food piled onto it and was smirking at him.  
"Phil wanted to come," Dan mumbled in reply.  
"I bet he did. Where is he?"  
"Bathroom."  
"Keeping it short tonight, eh?" Katie chuckled. Dan shrugged.  
"Well, I'll let you sulk. If you need me I'll be over at the snack table."  
-  
Dan wasn't for drinking, but someone handed him a bottle and he downed too many before he realized what he'd done. Alcohol was not good for the senses. You always had to be alert. You could never let your guard down.  
But he did. He found himself laughing, which he felt like he hadn't done in forever.  
Phil looked incredibly handsome. His blue shirt complimented his eyes and his lips were so full and kissable. Dan longed to lean over and just do it. Get lost in the feeling of their lips connecting and the electricity running through his veins.  
He didn't even realize he was home until he felt himself being thrown onto a bed. Dan watched Phil plop beside him, opening up to him the opportunity he craved.  
Dan pushed himself up and moved so his legs were placed on either side of Phil. His hands pressed down on the bed beside Phil's head.  
It felt like slow motion, the events that played out. Phil watched Dan with wide eyes, waiting for him to lean down and kiss him. The seconds ticked by, but they felt like hours and it was agonizing.  
Dan finally closed the gap, pressing his lips to Phil's. It grew in intensity as Phil started sitting up slightly.  
Their session continued, interrupted only as Dan pulled Phil's shirt over his head. The same happened as Dan threw his to the side and Phil wrapped his legs around his torso.  
When both of them were bare naked, Dan laid Phil on the bed. Phil gave a nod of approval and Dan reached into the bedside drawer.


	7. Chapter 7

It was Phil's turn to pick up their food today. He sat in a booth as he waited for their pizzas. The woman working at the counter had said ten minutes, but it felt like twenty had gone by.  
The bell above the door chimed as someone in a black hoodie stepped into the building. Phil glanced at him and turned back to his phone.  
The next time he looked up was to see why the hooded guy was sitting across from him. He watched as he reached up and took off his hood, revealing his face to Phil.  
"Ashton?"  
"Phil, I need you to listen to me," Ashton began, the urgency in his voice clear as day. Phil nodded to let him know he was listening.  
"The thing I told Dan about, it will happen. There are League members who want more power, and they're planning to take over. Phil, they will kill anyone that gets in their way. Don't let them tempt you into joining their side. Dan's father..."  
"Dan's dad?" Phil questioned.  
Ashton nodded. "He's a part of it. He wants to be in charge. You have to protect yourselves, keep away from them."  
"How do you know all this?" Phil asked.  
"My mates and I, we disappeared with the help of a resistance group that fights the League. What they do is wrong, everyone knows it, but only a few choose to fight it. We joined the resistance, and I know there's good in you, Phil. I know you know I'm telling the truth."  
Phil looked away from Ashton's face, because he believed every word he said. Ever since he fired a gun for the first time when he was eleven he had wanted to escape the League. He had wanted to run so far away that no one, not even Dan, could find him. He had a chance, he could get away from the killing and cruelty. It could be like the holiday he and Dan always planned on taking, just permanent instead of temporary.  
"I want to join," Phil said, looking Ashton in the eyes. "I want to be a part of the resistance."  
Ashton smiled. "That can be arranged."  
-  
Phil returned home with the food, reluctant to even go inside. Dan was a hard person to keep secrets from. Sneaking away to resistance meetings would mean Phil would have to lie to him a lot, and lying was not something Phil enjoyed or was particularly good at.  
He set the boxes on the table, avoiding Dan's gaze and leaving the room quickly to put away his coat and shoes. He came back and sat down beside his boyfriend, opening up his pizza. He hadn't realized how hungry he was  
"You okay?" Dan asked him.  
"I'm hungry," Phil chuckled in response. "They said ten minutes, but it was like twenty."  
"Yeah, you were gone a pretty long time," Dan agreed.  
Phil sighed a silent sigh of relief, taking a bite of his first slice.  
-  
Later that night Dan found himself tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Phil snoozed peacefully beside him, his pale face relaxed and his breathing even. Dan watched as his chest rose and fell. He was so beautiful.  
As quietly as he could manage, Dan stood up, cringing at the creaking of the bed. He didn't want to wake up Phil.  
Dan tiptoed out of their bedroom, grabbing a sweatshirt and pulling it on as he made his way down the steps and out into the night. From the front door he turned left, entering the narrow alley between his building and the next. He climbed the ladder that resided there to the roof. Dan sat down on the gray tiles, gazing up at the stars that were visible, which wasn't much considering the amount of light pollution London contributed.  
"Nice night, isn't it?" A deadly familiar voice said. Dan's face twisted in anger as he stood and turned to face the person who was behind him.  
"What are you doing here?" Dan spat, his fists curling into balls at his sides.  
"I came with a proposal," the mostly bald man replied calmly. "I don't think you're interested, though."  
"I actually am quite intrigued. You're not one to ask people. You usually just manipulate them to do what you want."  
"That's very true, son, very true. I would use that method on you, but I'm afraid I taught you too well to be persuaded easily. Your boyfriend however..."  
"If you go anywhere near Phil I will cut you open like the animal you are," Dan angrily shouted.  
"No need for threats, Daniel. I simply want to make a deal," his father said.  
"Go on, then. What is it?"  
"Someone has been snooping around and telling people about things going on inside the League. I believe he even tried to tell you. Just tell me who told you about corrupt doings in the League and I won't have my sniper across the street shoot your boyfriend."  
This wasn't even a hard choice to make. Phil was everything to Dan, and one name would keep him around. Ashton Irwin was nothing to Dan, just a mere player in the game.  
"Ashton Irwin," Dan said, looking straight into his father's cold eyes.  
"Thank you, Daniel," he said, walking toward the ladder. "I'll be in touch."  
And with that he disappeared from Dan's sight.


	8. Chapter 8

The day had finally arrived. It brought a tense air to the Hideout, and a lot of people. Highly skilled assassins, robbers, and psychopaths. It was like the Olympics for crime.  
Phil stayed close to Dan's side the entire time, like a child afraid to leave his parent's side. Dan knew how afraid Phil was of everything crime related. It was one of the hundred things that were his dad's fault.  
Phil never talked about it, but Dan never wanted to forget it. Their first mission was everything to Dan. He had been training since he was eight, and after six years it was all paying off.  
Dan pleaded with his father not to make Phil go. He had only been training for three years and was still nervous when it came to many things. But he stayed persistent, and Dan couldn't do anything about it.  
So Phil went on his first mission. He was holding a gun longer than his arm and heavier than he and Dan combined. Or at least one that felt that heavy to his thin and clumsy arms. He stuck by Dan, like he always did. But nothing could stop what happened, not even the strong and brave Dan Howell.  
The two were hunkered behind a wall of crates for cover, bowing their heads as an enemy fired rounds off at them.  
"Dan!" Phil cried amidst the gunfire. "Dan, I wanna go home!"  
"It's okay Phil," Dan yelled back, crawling closer to his best friend. He placed his hand on Phil's knee. "I won't let anyone hurt you, I promise."  
-  
Sitting in the back of the truck, thinking back to it all, Dan remembered his promise. He had kept it, he knew that, but there were endless possibilities when in their line of work.  
Either of them could get injured, that was very likely. They could get captured by anyone. Or the worst scenario... Phil could die. It broke Dan's heart to think about it. If there was anything that would make him insane it would be the death of his lover.  
"Dan, you alright?" Phil's melodic voice asked. Dan looked up at him, taking in every inch of his face.  
"Yeah, just pre-mission jitters," Dan shrugged.  
"Even the best of us get nervous," Phil nodded in agreement.  
"Let's get moving!" Tyler shouted, running toward the truck.  
Dan and Phil sat down and strapped themselves into their seats. Tyler, who was assigned as the driver, stepped on the gas pedal and in seconds the truck was lurching forward.  
The plan was to drive to the back door of the bank, where Dan, Phil, Caspar, Joe, and Troye would go inside. They would all be equipped with a duffle bag and a gun.  
No one could see where they were, but they could feel the truck moving with each bounce and turn. They could hear the buses squeaky breaks every time Tyler stopped at a red light.  
When they felt the truck stop and not move again, the group stood and exited the vehicle. With the doors open they loaded their guns. Dan glanced at his League mandated watch to see they were just on time. The other groups would be at the same step of their missions.  
Dan touched his earpiece, making sure it worked. "Tyler, can you hear me?" he said.  
"Loud and clear," Tyler answered. "I've shut down all security cameras and the alarm system. Nothing should be triggered when you unlock the door."  
Once every gun was loaded they each pulled their masks over their heads and went to the door. Phil placed a small disc-like device right underneath the doorknob. He pressed an unseen button and backed up. The team watched the device beep a few times before the door blew off its hinges.  
"No alarms triggered," Tyler said in Dan's ear. "You're good to go in."  
The team walked through the small amount of the smoke and into the bank. The flashlights attached to their guns lit up the dark building.  
Dan was at the front of the line. He had memorized the map of the bank, even though Tyler could have navigated them from outside. Dan checked off each checkpoint as he led his team to the vaults.  
First they proceed down a long hallway, which took them to the staff room and a small office. The hallway opened up to a lobby-like room consisting of a few doors. One led to the main lobby of the bank, where customers would come and go from during the day. Another was to where employees would sit and help their customers. The last one led to a staircase, leading to their target.  
Dan led them to it, descending the stairs and letting Phil take care of the next door in front of them.  
"We're unlocking the access door now," Dan relayed to Tyler.  
"Gotcha," he replied. "No alarms, keep going. You've got twenty minutes."  
The team went into the hallway with tons of separate vault rooms. Most of them were those personal boxes where secrets tended to be hidden in those cliché mystery movies.  
The room they were heading for was the vault where the paper money was kept. When they reached the door Phil knelt down in front of it, placing the same kind of device on it that he used on the first door.  
The door was opened and within seconds the team jogged inside, grabbing money and stuffing it in their bags.  
"No alarms, fifteen minutes," Tyler said.  
Dan joined the others once he received Tyler's confirmation. He rushed around the room, shoving handfuls of paper bills into his bag. "Ten minutes."  
Dan told the team to start finishing up. He zipped up his bag, which was almost filled up completely. "Five minutes."  
Dan shouted for them to start going. They followed the path they had taken on their way in, and soon they were back in the alley with the truck. The moonlight was dim, but the change of light was enough to hurt their eyes for a second. They quickly hopped back into the truck, Dan telling Tyler to step on the gas through his earpiece.


	9. Chapter 9

The rattling of the truck was the only tell that they were close to their destination. It was common during missions to take back roads in order to avoid running into authorities. Dan had given Tyler very precise directions to follow. He was a perfectionist when it came to the League... Once again something he caught from his dad.  
When the truck stopped moving the group hopped out of their seats with their bags in hand. Tyler opened the door for them and Dan surveyed their surroundings.   
They were at a dock, much like any normal dock really. The only light was from a lamppost next a bench and the lights that were on the fishing boat in the water. On the side of the boat, painted in white was The Howell.  
They handed their bags full of money to the people at the boat and headed back to the truck.  
"Leave all gear here," Dan told his team. The Clean-Up Crew will come by to take everything back."  
Dan stripped himself of the bulletproof vest he had been wearing and left his weapon right on top of it. It was a beautiful gun, long and slim and perfectly polished. Fully loaded too.  
"Dan?" Phil's voice rang out.  
"Yeah?" Dan replied, turning to face him.  
"Everyone's going out for a drink, want to go?"  
Dan glanced between Phil's eager face and the members of his team. It was traditional, almost, to go to the League's pub and have a good time after completing a mission. Dan never saw the appeal... nor did he see the appeal in any social gathering. He nodded his head reluctantly.  
"Yeah, I'll tag along," Dan shrugged. Phil smiled and took his hand, tugging him out of the truck and along with everyone else.  
-  
No matter where he went, Dan always ended up by himself in a corner. Phil was a mingler, he always had someone to talk to or a new person to say hi to. Dan preferred to stay away from people, though. He'd rather be crazy in silence anyway.  
Dan didn't realize how insane he was until he was twenty. He and Phil were just moving into their apartment, and that was also the last year Dan worked directly for his father. He had Dan go on mission after mission, each one leaving him with a little less sanity. Dan knew now that had been his goal. Strip away his son's humanity so he'd be a monster, just like him.   
Dan's revelation came on one cold, November night. He sat back from his work, staring at the wet blood covering his hands. It felt surreal, that moment in time, like everything was stuck collectively at a standstill. He thought back to the things he had done... the murders, the robberies, the torturing... he was a psychopath. A cold-blooded killer. A monster. He knew it when he was eleven and he knew it even better now. There was no humanity left in Dan Howell.   
But somehow, Phil always made him less cold hearted. With his beautiful blue eyes and his soft lips, Phil was heaven. When with him, Dan was normal. He was a kind and compassionate boyfriend, who wanted nothing more than to make his Phil happy. His Phil.   
"You alright?" someone said.  
Dan looked up from his lap at the person in front of him. Katie stood there, a drink in hand. Her face was glowing and her eyes were cheery.  
"I guess," Dan answered, sipping his own drink.  
"Normally I'd be more concerned for someone sitting in the corner by their self, but it's you. I'm just worried you're thinking too much."  
"I always think too much, Katie. You know that."  
"Exactly, that's why I came over."  
"I'm not human, anymore."  
"What do you mean?"   
Dan sighed. "I've done so much in my twenty-four years... more than any other League member my age. I hold a gun like it's an extension to my arm. I look at weapons like a child at Christmas. I get angry at anyone that annoys me. I kill people without batting an eye. I'm not normal anymore."  
"Have you ever been normal, though?" Katie asked.  
"You're not helping."  
"Look Dan, I've know you for what, ten years now? You're just as normal as the rest of us, which is not normal at all. You want normal? Leave the League and move away. You and Phil go buy a farm and adopt some dogs. Fuck, you could even get some bloody goats!"  
Katie was laughing now, much too hard for the joke she had made. Dan knew the alcohol was getting to her now.  
"Thanks Katie, I'm going to go find Phil."  
Katie giggled as Dan stood and looked around the pub. He couldn't see Phil.  
He started walking around, searching every corner for his boyfriend. He was no where. Phil was gone.


	10. Chapter 10

Phil found himself moving from person to person, making small talk with any friend that was at the bar. Dan was famous, sure, but Phil was approachable.   
He decided to go back to Dan, who was probably going insane without anyone to keep him company. Phil squeezed his way through the crowd, Dan finally coming into his view. Katie was there as well, no doubt drunk as ever. He was about to take another step when someone tapped his shoulder. He turned to take a look but was unable to when whoever it was grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the back of the bar. Phil was led out the door and into the alley.  
The person finally faced Phil, revealing that it was Ashton. The curly hair should have given it away.   
"Why are you here?" Phil asked him. "It's dangerous with so many League members in there."  
"I know, but this couldn't wait," Ashton replied, looking around as he spoke.  
"Is something wrong?"   
"I was sold out. The League knows I'm part of the resistance..."  
"I swear I didn't say anything!" Phil objected.  
"I know, but I can't say the same for Dan."  
Phil thought for a moment, realizing how likely Ashton's theory was.   
"They're after me, they want me dead," Ashton said.  
"Then you shouldn't have come, you should be staying at the base..."  
"Look... there's something I need you to do for me... if I die."  
"Don't talk like that..."  
"There's a box in the bank next to the base under my name that I've given permission for you to acquire. It has lots of plans I made for the resistance... and a ring."  
"Ashton... are you...?"  
He nodded. "I was planning on proposing to Luke, but now I don't know if I'll be able to. I want you to give it to him, when the corruptness of the League is defeated... when everything is over and he can be happy."  
"Ashton, you'll be able to do it yourself," Phil said to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.  
"I hope so, but just in case, you know?"  
"Why didn't you tell this to Calum or Michael?"  
"I need the plans to be safe. If they know about me they might put two and two together and realize they are in the resistance too."  
Phil nodded again, looking around the alley. "You should go, before someone comes out here."  
"Yeah, thanks so much, Phil."  
Phil smiled and watched him walk out the to street.  
"Oh," Ashton said, turning around. "We still on for tomorrow?"   
"Yeah!" Phil called back. Ashton smiled and Phil watched him disappear.  
-  
Dan ran frantically around the bar, averting much attention to himself. He found Katie again and pulled her aside, ignoring her protests and the drops of liquor that fell on his arm.   
"Do you know where Phil is?" he asked her.  
"No, why?" she slurred. Dan cringed at the smell of alcohol that laced her breath.  
"I can't find him," Dan sighed, running his hand through his hair.  
"I'm sure he's fine," Katie replied, sipping her drink. "Maybe he just stepped outside for some fresh air."  
"Right... I'm overreacting aren't I?"  
Katie nodded, diverting her attention to something else. Dan left her to search for Phil once again. He circled around the bar to no avail, he still didn't see Phil.  
He sat back down, figuring he'd show up eventually. Besides, Dan was a psychopath murderer. If something bad had happened to Phil the idiot who did it would get the same done to him.   
"Hey Dan," Phil's voice said. Dan looked up and saw the beautiful face that matched the voice. He felt relief flood through him.  
"You're alright!" Dan beamed as Phil say across from him.   
"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?"  
"I couldn't find you, I got worried."  
"I just stepped outside for a bit. I needed some fresh air."  
Dan nodded, turning away from Phil for a moment to check his phone. It was nearly one in the morning.  
"It's pretty late, want to head home?" Dan offered.  
"Yeah, let's go, I'm pretty tired," Phil replied.  
-  
The two walked hand-in-hand back to their apartment. Dan fumbled with the keys a bit, but realized the door wasn't locked. "Is Tyler home?" Dan wondered aloud. Phil shrugged.  
An alarm went off in Dan's head. He quietly opened the door, looking around the apartment as he walked inside. No one was in there, but they hadn't yet checked the bedrooms. Dan didn't even bother to check his own when he heard noises coming from the guest bedroom. He pressed his ear to the door as Phil stood behind him. He picked up moans and various other noises he wished he hadn't heard.  
"Tyler's here," Dan said, standing up and walking away. "Tyler is definitely here."


	11. Chapter 11

As usual, Dan was up first, and the scene that followed his awakening was more enjoying than he had predicted.   
Tyler walked out of the guest bedroom and looked at Dan with an embarrassed expression. Dan asked him who it was he had done it with the night before and he mumbled a reply that he barely picked up.  
"Troye?" Dan repeated, for clarity and out of shock. Tyler nodded and blushed in reply, which Dan chuckled at.  
Phil came into the kitchen a bit later, sleepy and quiet. He sat next to Tyler and looked like he was about to fall asleep again.  
"You okay, Phil?" Dan asked, looking at his boyfriend with concern.  
"Yeah, I just don't feel the best," Phil replied, half mumbling.  
"Why don't you stay home today then. I can teach the trainees alone," Dan suggested. Phil stood from his seat and hugged Dan, their lips connecting for a brief second before Phil went back down the hall and to their bedroom.  
Around noon Dan got dressed and kissed Phil goodbye before leaving for the Hideout.  
-  
Once Phil was positive that Dan was gone and not coming back he slipped out of bed to get dressed. Acting sleepy was the only thing he knew Dan wouldn't find right away to be a lie. Any other sickness he had faked would have ended horribly because of Phil's horrific acting skills.  
Once he was ready to go he walked to where Ashton said they'd meet. It was in front of a small café at the corner of a busy street. Phil watched the crowd and the cars flooding by, waiting to see who he was looking for.  
After five minutes or so a van with a logo painted on the side pulled up to the curb. Ashton got out of it, and walked up to Phil.  
"This is our ride," he said simply, gesturing to the van.   
"That's a smart way to disguise your vehicles," Phil observed. "The League should be taking notes."  
Ashton chuckled and led Phil into the van. They started driving, the driver introducing himself as PJ. They only drove for a few blocks before pulling up in front of a pub that was closed because it was still morning.   
To Phil's surprise they walked into the pub. It was actually very nice inside; it was kind of old western themed. There was a small second level that overlooked the ground floor and a long bar against one wall. There was a girl behind the bar wiping it down, she smiled at the three as they walked in.  
"You're Phil, right?" she asked. Phil nodded in reply, noticing by her voice she was American. "I'm Nia."  
"Motherfucker!" a voice shouted from a back room.  
"That would be my girlfriend," Nia sighed with a smile. Another girl came out from a door behind the bar, she was cradling her wrist to her chest as she walked up to Nia.  
"I dropped the fucking crates," she said. "Nearly broke my fucking wrist."  
"Sam, this is Phil," Nia said.  
"Oh yeah, I forgot you were coming today. I would have refrained from saying my favorite word so much, but any good first impression is out the window now."  
Phil shrugged and turned to Ashton.   
"See you guys later, we've got to start the tour," Ashton said.   
He led Phil into a storage room, where at the back Ashton pressed his hand to the wall. Phil watched in awe as the wall slid away, revealing a spiral staircase going downward. The two descended it, walking into what Phil guessed was the resistance's headquarters.   
The room was large, and the ceiling, floor, and walls were all concrete. Color was lacking but not light; the tables lined up each had their own lamp. There were also lights above them. Toward the back was a wall of weapons on display, and mats beneath for practice.   
"Not as big as the League's, but it's got everything we need," Ashton said. "Come on, you should meet our director."  
Near the back was a door that lead into an office. Ashton knocked on the already open door and an older, female voice told them to come in. Phil sat in a chair on the opposite side of the desk. The Director looked up at him, finally revealing her face.  
"M-Mrs. Howell?" Phil stuttered in surprise.  
"Hello Phillip, it's nice to see you again."


	12. Chapter 12

"W-what are you doing here?" Phil stuttered.  
"Leading a resistance against the League of course. My former husband has cut all ties with me, and soon my son will most likely believe me to be dead. You, Phillip, my dear son-in-law, are the only other person from my family that I trust."  
"D-Dan, he'll think you're dead?"  
"I know you love him, and I know how much my death will hurt him, but it has to be this way. I cannot allow anyone who could betray me to know I am alive."  
Phil sighed. "Okay, I will Mrs. Howell."  
"Please, call me Anne. Let's get down to business now," she said. "I only take the best onto my team. I like to have experts in several different fields. Ashton and his friends are highly skilled when it comes to combat. Sam is practically a genius and her girlfriend a weapons expert. And you Phillip, have a very wide skill set thanks to your League training."  
"Not really," Phil objected. "Dan is better at many things."  
"Yes, that may be true, but we're not here to talk about Dan. I understand you have small PTSD problems, correct?"  
Phil swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. It wasn't as bad as it had been when he was a teenager, but sometimes nightmares still woke him up dripping with sweat. Sometimes gunfire still made him uneasy. Traumatic experiences never go away.  
"If there is something you cannot handle I will not force you to do it," Anne said, her voice gentle. "We are not the League. You will not be forced into anything."  
Phil signed with relief, mumbling a small "thank you."  
"You are, however, very good at hand-to-hand combat and cracking locks?"  
"Yeah, those are what Dan has me do most of the time."  
"I would like to test your skills, if you don't mind."  
"That's fine," Phil answered. He wasn't one to show off, but he had nothing against proving how skillful he was.  
Anne got up from her chair, motioning for Phil to follow. Many people surrounded the mats, some faces familiar and others not. At the center of the mat stood Calum, one of Ashton's friends and Michael's boyfriend. Phil had heard he was pretty good at this stuff.  
Phil took off his shoes, already feeling like he was at a disadvantage since he was in jeans and Calum was in sweatpants. Phil watched as his opponent slipped off his shirt, throwing it at his boyfriend who was smirking. Phil had to try his hardest not to stare at Calum's abs. He was a gorgeous man.  
"First one pinned the ground loses," Anne announced. "Go."  
Phil watched Calum carefully, the way he set himself up and how he placed his feet. Phil decided to wait for him to strike first. He figured Calum was probably more aggressive than smart when it came to fighting.  
When it finally came in a swing of Calum's arm, Phil ducked and brought up his fist to hit his opponent in the gut. Calum staggered back a few steps, but regained his composure quickly. He came at Phil again, swinging his fists. Phil avoided the blows and kicked Calum's legs out from under him.  
Laying on his back, Calum kicked his legs at Phil. The paler of the two pushed Calum down as he tried to stand up. In defeat Calum huffed, looking up Phil who's limbs held him down.  
"Great job, Phil," Anne said. Phil held out his hand to help Calum to his feet. "No one has beaten him before."  
"Yeah," Calum blurted out. "How'd you avoid me so well?"  
"You fight aggressive. You think with your muscles and not your head. When you stop to assess your opponent you can always take the upper hand."  
"Phillip," Anne said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I'd like you to take the oath to join our resistance."  
-  
The Hideout was no longer a busy beehive. After the mission was completed most of the criminals left London. Their feat had been broadcast on news stations everywhere. The government and the police were in shock. Dan liked that. It gave him a feeling of triumph that nothing else could.  
He worked with the trainees for the usual time and then helped with any work he could. Dan wasn't planning on being just another member to do the crimes and then leave. He was going to climb up to the top.  
Phil didn't yet know that, though. Dan knew he'd probably want to get married and settle down somewhere, but Dan had his goals set higher. Phil would probably retire from the League, but Dan would follow in his father's footsteps. Sure, he hated his father, but when it came to the League he embodied all of his son's aspirations.  
The future troubled him. It always had. It was inevitable and unpredictable. He could die tomorrow, or Phil could. A bomb could drop and wipe out a city. The sky could flood with alien invaders. Dan could become a murderous psychopath. The last possibility was more reasonable.  
He had questioned his sanity and had no doubt he was a bit on the loopy side. What worried him was his humanity. Phil was human to the core. He was a pure ray of sunshine with a truly good heart. But Dan was cold blooded. He murdered without thinking anything of it. He committed crime without feeling remorse. Does someone like that have humanity at all?  
"Daniel," a voice said. Dan looked up from his lap at the person in the doorway.  
"Dad," Dan replied coldly.  
"How are you?" his dad asked.  
"Have you killed him yet?" Dan spat, referring to Ashton.  
"Our scouts have yet to find him. I don't know why you're so opposed to the idea of him dying. He's part of a resistance against us, Daniel. He and his comrades threaten our very existence."  
"Son," his dad said, taking a seat beside him. Dan moved over so he wasn't too close to the man. "I want you to join me."  
"Join you? In what?"  
"I'm putting together a special group within the League. One that will follow my orders and be own squad. Sound interesting?"  
"As much I as adore you, dad, I'm not interested in your stupid cult. Go ask someone less knowledgeable on your personality."  
"Come on, Dan! It'll be just like old times! You and me against the world."  
"I have someone to fight with."  
"Ah yes, Phil. I wonder what he's up to?"  
"He's sick."  
"That's what he told you."  
"Excuse me?"  
"Oh nothing."  
"Are you following my boyfriend?"  
"Dan I follow anyone who piques my interest. Phil is basically one of my sons of course I'm going to keep an eye on him."  
"What did you mean, before, when you said that's what he told me?"  
"I'm not going to share anything with you, Dan. Sorry."  
His father gave him a pat on the knee before standing up and stretching his back. He then walked right out the door, leaving Dan back with his thoughts.


	13. Chapter 13

t had been a week since Phil had begun working for the resistance. Somehow Ashton was still alive, much to Phil's surprise and joy. He has gotten a lot of time to observe the famous four Australian best friends. They were a well-oiled machine, much like Phil was with Dan. They worked together like they had the same mind, but also had a special connection.  
It made Phil miss his boyfriend, watching the happy couples around him. He was the only on a different side than his significant other. Nia and Sam, Ashton and Luke, Michael and Calum, PJ and Chris, they were all so happy. And both people were good.   
Phil and Dan were happy, or at least Phil was trying to make himself believe that. After the past week he had began to question whether he was content to be with Dan, who did so many terrible things without thinking twice about it. Could he live the life he dreamed of with Dan? Was their happily ever after just a fantasy?  
Phil tried not to think about it, especially as he lay on the couch with his head in Dan's lap. They were channel surfing, looking for something good to watch. Dan passed several news channels, all seeming to be talking about the same murder. Phil caught the headline, and shouted for Dan to stop. He sat up and stared at the screen, not wanting to believe it.  
"The body was identified as Ashton Irwin, an Australian criminal charged with robbery, murder, assault, and arson. Police are investigating who killed him, but will be cremating the body after the investigation closes."  
"N-no way," Phil gasped, noticing his fists clenching tight onto the couch.  
"Phil," Dan said, watching him closely. Phil turned to his boyfriend. "I should probably tell you something, and it kind of has to do with that..."  
"What do you mean?" Phil asked, successfully playing dumb.  
"My dad, he came here and met with me..."  
"He what?" Phil didn't have to act anymore, this he had not known about.  
"He asked me who had approached me and told me about corruptness in the League and I told him it was Ashton. I guess he killed him and it's probably my fault..."  
"How could you sell him out?" Phil exclaimed. "He was our friend, Dan!"  
"I didn't know what he would do!"  
"That's a lie! You know exactly what your father does, we both do. He lies, deceives, and kills anyone that stands in his way!"  
"Why are you so upset over this?" Dan asked, growing a bit suspicious.  
"I'm just shocked," Phil replied.  
"Shocked? What do you mean? We haven't seen him for months."  
It was Phil's turn to spill some truth, but not all of it. There were parts that had to remain hidden. "Ashton approached me too," Phil said.   
"Why didn't you tell me?" Dan asked.  
"Forgot, I guess."  
"What did he say?"  
"The same stuff he said to you, except he did mention your dad..."  
"My dad? What about him?"  
"He said that your dad and others he's brought onto his side want more power. They're planning to take over the League."  
"I want to believe that's a lie," Dan said. "But it's exactly something he'd do. That's why he asked for Ashton's name... He had too much information."  
Phil nodded and Dan looked up at him.   
"Are we good?" Dan asked. Phil thought for a moment, before standing up and walking to the hallway.  
"You're sleeping on the couch," he yelled back as he left for their bedroom. He heard a sigh come from Dan and Tyler giggle from the doorway of the guest bedroom.


	14. Chapter 14

The moment Phil entered the place the eerie silence hit him hard. Everyone seemed to just be sitting around instead of the usual liveliness that filled the resistance base. Phil had no idea where to go, since he usually followed Ashton around. He wasn't too friendly with the other three Australians yet, and he wasn't sure if it was a good time to approach them anyway. They had just lost their best friend after all, Luke's boyfriend too.   
Phil took a seat at a random table, glancing around before taking his phone out. He had no one to talk to or just to sit with, and he wasn't sure why he had come here in the first place. He looked up as someone sat across from him, taking a bite out of an apple.  
"Hey Lester," she said, still chewing a bit of her food.   
"Y-yeah?" Phil answered, not knowing what this was about. It was Sam who had sat down, the girl who Anne had described as practically a genius.  
"There's a girl in the League, her name is Kathleen Simmons. When you were a teen you were friends with her, do you remember her?"  
"Of course, I'm still friends with her today."  
"Really? Um, how is she?"   
"She seems good. I think she's in a set up relationship though, which knowing her isn't something she'd be happy about at all."  
"Yeah, she never did like being controlled," Sam replied, a smile forming on her lips. "Thanks, Lester, I'll see ya around."  
"Hey Sam, can I ask you something?"  
She turned around to face Phil again, nodding her head.  
"Why did you ask about Katie?"  
Sam sat down, and she spoke quieter than she did before.  
"Katie is my sister, but you can't tell anyone! Not even my girlfriend knows I'm related to anyone in the League!" Sam rushed.  
"Katie has another sister? I thought only Clarissa and James were her siblings..."  
"My parents wouldn't talk about me much. I'm a disgrace in their eyes, and in more ways than one."  
"I'm sorry," Phil replied.  
"Thanks, but I don't know if you really understand."  
"Trust me, I do. I lost my parents when I was young. They died, and I mean yours are still alive, but you lost them."  
"Your parents died when you were young? I'm so sorry I had no idea..." Sam started.  
"It's fine, really. That's how I met Dan. His parents took me in because I had no one else. How did you meet Nia?"  
"We met at a record shop," Sam began.  
-  
Phil hadn't checked the time since he had begun talking to Sam, and when he did he saw he had been here for over an hour. Sam glanced around the room, seeing that many people had left.   
"I should probably get going," Sam said, turning to stand up from her seat.  
"Me too, it was nice talking to you," Phil grinned, happy to have made a friend.  
"Same here," Sam replied, smiling too. Phil watched her walk away to the elevator. He wanted so bad to go home and talk about his new friend with Dan, but he couldn't. He had no lie as to where he was when Dan was at the Hideout and he stayed home. Not even Tyler knew of this.   
It killed him to not be able to share everything with Dan like he always did, but he had to remind himself that it was for the best. There's no way to know what Dan would do if he found out. Phil figured he'd probably sell them out to the League...  
There was only one person left at the base, and he was sitting by himself across the room. Phil hadn't wanted to approach him before, but this time he thought he might as well quickly say hello. He walked over to Luke who had his head in his hands.  
"Luke?"   
He looked up at him, his blue eyes watery. "Hey Phil, how are you?" Luke asked, forcing a smile.  
"Don't worry about me, how are you?"  
"Fine, yeah," Luke answered.  
"You know I don't believe that, right?"  
Luke chuckled. "I don't think anyone has, but you're the first to say it."  
Phil shrugged. "If you ever need anything I'm always around."  
"Thanks," Luke nodded.


	15. Chapter 15

Katie started watching the news when she got Phil's text. Ashton Irwin had died, and she wasn't sure how to feel. He was an old friend from an old time, and she had already regarded him as dead.   
The hotel room was quiet, which was music to Katie's ears. Her "boyfriend" was out, which left her alone in the room. She couldn't believe her parents forced her to be around and share a bed with that asshole. Maybe Sam had the right idea...  
She shook her head to get rid of that thought. The resistance killed their brother, James, and that was unforgivable. The League did nothing but murder, sure, but she could never join the side that took away her brother. Sam was delusional and insane to think that the resistance would be the right choice.  
At the same time, Katie didn't blame her sister for running away. Her parents were assassins, and assassin families had strict rules. Arranged marriages, alliances, and many kids were all parts of the deal. Being gay was frowned upon.   
The two had been best friends, Sam and Katie, but they were torn apart when they chose different sides. Sam told Katie she was gay first, and then James, then Clarissa, and then their parents.   
"Sam, what's wrong?" Katie asked, placing her hand on her sister's shoulder. Sam looked up at her with teary eyes. Katie hadn't seen her older sister cry since they were young.  
"I knew they'd be mad!" Sam cried. "I fucking knew they wouldn't accept it, but I told them anyway. I'm so fucking stupid."  
"No you're not," Katie soothed. "And stop using the f-word so much! I told you to tell them, so it's my fault."  
"No, nothing is your fault, Kate. You've been so incredible throughout this whole thing, I just wish Mom and Dad were like you."  
It almost made Katie smile, remembering the good days. The door opened and Alexander walked in. He stumbled a bit over his own feet before plopping down on the bed beside her. She rolled her eyes and stood up, his hand flying up to catch the back of her shirt.  
"Where're ya goin' babe?" He slurred, a smirk forming on his lips.  
"Over there," Katie replied.   
"Stay here," Alexander said, clenching his fist so he was holding onto her tighter.  
"No."  
"Yes, come on!"  
"Go away."  
"I can't this is my place!"  
"Jesus Christ you asshole let go!" Katie shouted, twisting out of his grasp. He was drunk and she was an assassin, she knew there'd be no turnout where this ended badly for her.  
Alexander moved again to grab her, but she hit his arm away. Angrily he tried again, but she grabbed his arm and twisted it under her armpit, careful to put it right before the point where it would break.  
"You wanna try again, buddy?" Katie spat in his ear, throwing him to the floor. She grabbed her coat and a bag of clothes she kept packed at all times.   
"Sober up you dick," Katie said before slamming the door shut behind her.  
-  
She walked for what felt like forever, not entirely sure where she was going. She had plenty of friends in London, despite having lived in the countryside her whole life. The Simmons owned a large mansion right on the outskirts of a small town. The kids were homeschooled, as it always was with assassins, but as she got older Katie found herself in town a lot. She'd sneak away after lessons and visit the little coffee shop on the corner, or help the little old lady who worked as a florist. It was a good life, the one she had lived there. Katie often found herself wanting to go back to those times, but she knew wishing was futile and stupid. She learned that lesson the hard way.  
Katie had no idea where she was for a bit, but then she looked around and found she was near Caspar and Joe's place. She had been there only once since she'd been in the city, but any memory with Joe seemed to stay in her mind forever.   
She meandered up to their door, droplets of water from the light drizzle glistening in her hair. She rang the doorbell and waited patiently for an answer. Someone came to the door, looked through the window and then unlocked it. When it swung open Joe stood there. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  
"Katie, what're you doing here?"  
"I, erm, had to leave my partner, he uh..."  
"Don't say any more, come inside before you get drenched."  
Katie stepped inside beside him, thanking him as he took her coat and bag. He led her into the kitchen, handing her a warm mug of hot chocolate.  
"It's your favorite," Joe said. "I remember you telling me that."  
"Wow, that was forever ago. I'm surprised you remember."  
"I'm like an elephant, I don't forget anything."  
Katie chuckled, placing her mug on the table.  
"Are you sure you're okay?" Joe asked her. She shook her head.  
"Of course I'm not, at least not entirely. I hate Alexander so much, but my parents..."  
"Don't let them control your life, Katie," Joe interrupted, watching as Katie's gaze drifted upward to his face.  
"I have too," Katie argued. "After losing James and Sam, I'm the oldest. It's my responsibility to be a good figure for the Simmons family."  
"No it isn't," Joe said.  
"Why do you even care?" Katie asked. "This isn't your problem, I don't want you getting involved."  
"I was in a similar position as you," Joe said. "My family wanted me to marry a girl whose family was also in the League. That's when I met Caspar, and when they found out about my sexuality they practically disowned me. It's for the better though, I say."  
"But you and Zoe seem fine," Katie questioned.  
"It's because she's not like them. She still loves me, you know? Lucky for her mum and dad approved of Alfie so she got to keep them and her love."  
"I'm sorry, Joe. I had no idea," Katie sighed.  
"Don't let them control you," Joe said. "Be your own person Kathleen Simmons."  
Katie smiled with a small laugh, something she felt she hadn't done in a while.


	16. Chapter 16

Dan reported to the Hideout at noon as he had been instructed. He was told to leave Phil behind, this mission would be done solo. It had been a while since Dan had taken a mission on his own, but he had no doubts whatsoever.  
He took the file to the quiet room and plopped down on the same sofa Phil usually sat on. Dan thought a lot about him recently. He seemed almost distant, like maybe he was keeping something from him. Phil never kept secrets though, which is what made Dan even more curious.  
The file included a picture of a middle-aged man, who's name was said to be Alfred Haywood. Dan didn't recognize him, but his info said he was a former League member who was leaking information about League operations. He'd have to make the bird squawk, and find how much information he leaked.  
Dan stood up and left the room, heading for the exit when he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw a friendly face smiling down at him. For a highly trained murderer, Jim Chapman was quite the happy person. He and his wife never ceased to be the optimists of the London members.   
"Hey Dan, I was wondering if I could ask you a question?" Jim asked.  
Dan was quiet for a moment. "Okay, sure."  
"I've got this assignment," Jim started, flipping open a file folder. "And I was wondering what the best method might be to get this guy talking? He's like super trained and I don't know if I could do it."  
Dan scanned the papers, looking for something useful. "Go deep," Dan answered simply. "Someone like him won't give anything up with normal methods. Go crazy and tougher."  
"Thanks a lot," Jim said, closing the folder and holding it at his side. "Oh, um, I don't mean to pry, but how are you? I don't see Phil around here much these days, are you two okay?"  
"Yeah, we're good," Dan replied, realizing how many days Phil had been skipping lately. He was either sleeping in or claimed to have errands to run.  
"Good, good. See you around, then," Jim said a smile. Dan nodded and continued on his way, wanting to start his mission as soon as possible.  
-  
Kidnapping him had been too easy. Dan was barely enjoying himself at this point, which was something he despised. Boredom made Dan crave for excitement, usually in the form of criminalistic acts.   
When his captive awoke he starting pacing around him, trying to scare him a bit. Dan was jumpy and full of adrenaline, ready to have fun.   
"So, Alfred, you worked for the League right?" Dan started. "Tell me, what do you know? What did you leak you filthy little mole?"  
"I leaked the big bank robbery," the man replied.   
"Wow! I didn't even have to do anything to you to get you to talk! Why you're not making this any fun at all!"  
"And a few murders, but that's it. I couldn't get my hands on anything else."  
"This organization's existence is a secret, you know. This slip of information has the ability to tell the entire world about us. Where did you leak it to?"  
"The Internet."  
"Oh dear," Dan sighed through gritted teeth. "That is not good news for me or for you."  
"Everyone knows now, that you and your evil employers..."  
"Evil? Psh, I wouldn't consider myself that." Dan twirled a knife with his fingers, putting his face close up to the man's. "A more accurate word would be, mm, psychotic."  
Dan brought the knife closer to the man's face. If he moved even an inch he'd draw blood.  
"Wait!" the man cried. "I have some information that might interest you."  
"You can't possibly know my interests..."  
"You're the Howell boy, aren't you? This stuff is about your dad."  
Dan pulled the knife away and stood up straight. "I'm listening."  
"Your father has been gathering followers, like minions from League members. He's created a small army and he plans to take over the London Hideout so he can eventually take over the League."  
"I knew he's power-hungry, but why?"  
"He wants the world to know the League exists and he wants people to fear him. He tried recruiting me after I leaked that information."  
"Thank you for the in-tell, now where were we?"  
-  
Dan shuffled into the apartment, lazily throwing his keys down and plopping onto the couch. He felt blank, like he couldn't think anymore. He didn't care honestly, it felt good to not have thoughts running through his mind for a change.  
"Hey," a voice said from behind him. Dan looked up at Phil was standing in the door way.  
"Hey," Dan replied.  
"You okay?"  
"Just tired."  
"You're covered in blood, you know that right?"  
Dan looked down at his clothes, realizing he was covered in the stuff. "Oh yeah, shit."  
"You should shower."  
"Only if you come with me."  
Phil's mouth formed an "o" shape and Dan smirked, watching his boyfriend blush.  
"Come on," Dan urged. "Just like after training when we were teens."  
Phil followed Dan to the bathroom, where he started the water and placed towels on the counter for when they were done. They both stripped and Phil let Dan step in first.   
The blood staining his neck and chest ran down his body to the floor below. He watched it wash away down the drain. Phil stepped in and Dan turned around, staring at Phil intently.  
"What?" Phil chuckled as he noticed Dan looking at him.   
"You're beautiful," Dan said, making Phil's blush deepen.  
"Shut up," Phil grinned with a shake of his head.   
Dan pulled him closer, the warm water raining down over their heads. Dan's eyes drifted down to Phil's lips, and soon he connected his to them. It felt like old times, when there was no one and nothing else, just the two of them. No that moment that's all that seemed to matter. The two of them and their lips moving in sync.  
They pulled away to breathe, pressing their foreheads together as the water continued to pour down. Phil felt warm, and safe, and that was all that mattered. Here in Dan's arms he was home, and he wished so badly he didn't have to keep secrets from him.


	17. Chapter 17

Dan and Phil ate breakfast in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. It wasn't out of spite or anger, it was just silence in the most natural form of the word.  
"You're coming to the Hideout today, right?" Dan asked, breaking the quiet that had filled the room. Phil nodded in reply. "We don't have the recruits to train today," Dan continued. "Maybe we could have a round two of last night."  
Phil choked and almost spit out his cereal. Dan laughed loudly and once Phil had composed himself he laughed too.  
-  
The Hideout was quiet, which had been a rare sight for a while. It was nice to see things finally going back to normal. Dan smiled internally, hoping maybe what he'd been told about his father wasn't true.  
"Daniel!" His voice called. Dan looked up, clenching his fists angrily.  
"Why are you here?" Dan demanded.  
"I just want to talk to my son," he replied. "Too much to ask for?"  
Dan looked at Phil, who shrugged and gave him a sympathetic look. Dan turned and started up the stairs to meet him. They went into the leader's unoccupied office and stood facing one another.  
"What do you want?" Dan repeated.  
"You know my plans?"  
"How do you know that?"  
"I have eyes everywhere, my boy. There is nothing I don't know."  
"I've known for a while, but my last mission confirmed it."  
"You still contempt with staying away? I can promise you power and anything you desire, Daniel. You can have all the money and women you..."  
"I'm into neither of those things," Dan interrupted.  
"Right, I'm sorry. How could I forget?"  
Dan wanted to punch the snobby look off his face, but he kept his clenched fists at his sides.  
"Don't stand in my way Daniel," his father warned. "I will not hesitate to kill you."  
His father began walking out, but Dan turned to call after him.  
"And the same goes to you," he said. "I won't hesitate to kill you, father."  
The man smirked and then left the room, leaving Dan alone. He followed out, seeing his father was already out the main door. Dan sighed in relief, walking back down the stairs to find Phil.   
Phil came running toward him, though, followed by Katie. Dan hadn't known she was there.  
"Is everything all right?" Phil asked.   
"I- uh-" Dan started. He looked around, noticing there were other people here today as well. "Let's talk somewhere private."  
The three walked up the stairs to Phil's favorite room. Dan shut the door behind them and turned to face the two who wore eager faces.  
"He confirmed it," Dan confessed. Phil gasped and Katie looked confused.  
"Confirmed what?" She asked.  
"We found out, Phil and I, that my father was planning something in the League. I found out yesterday on a mission that he wants to take over the League. My conversation with him today confirmed it."  
"Greedy bastard, of course he'd do something like this," Katie replied.  
"We have to do something," Phil said, although he was hesitant to do so.  
"There's nothing we can do," Dan sighed. "We'll just have to sit back and let everything play out. I don't want my father to be in charge of anything, but what power do I have against him?"  
-  
The young detective stood impatiently tapping his foot as the elevator carried him to the top floor. He held the files in his hands tightly. They were important to him, almost even more so than his friends.  
When the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open he dashed out and down the hall. One person called his name, asking where he was going, but any friend of his would know his destination by now. Without even knocking the detective burst into the captain's office. The tall blonde man looked up at him, curiosity and annoyance evident in his face.  
"What is it now, Jaeger?" The captain sighed, rubbing his eyes.  
"Captain Smith, I believe the criminal that was found dead, Ashton Irwin, was once part of the criminal organization based here."  
"We've been over this, the criminal organization is a myth."  
"Sir I have enough evidence to prove its existence! If you'd just let me investigate further..."  
"No Eren!" The captain shouted. "We can't keep chasing fairy tales, do you understand me? We're just a police station, nothing more. A criminal organization would not be under our jurisdiction."  
"Please, just let me talk to someone who can help me. I know it's a long shot, but I have evidence..."  
"I know you think your parents..."  
"I don't think that, I know. This organization killed my mother and maybe my father..."  
"Eren, please, for your sake and everyone here, don't go any farther. You could get in serious trouble. I'd hate to see anything happen to you, and I don't want you to hurt Levi."  
His name was the only thing that ever shut Eren up. Levi and Eren had met when they'd been partnered together as detectives. Now they were together and owned an apartment not far from the police station. Levi didn't know it yet, but Eren was going to propose on their vacation in a month.   
Eren was reckless, he'd throw his life away in an instant. The only thing that kept him alive was Levi, and there was no way he would hurt the love of his life.  
"Fine, but I can't just completely drop this," Eren said. The captain nodded.  
"I understand that."  
Eren walked out feeling like he had lost another battle. It had been the same thing for years now. He had become a detective to solve his parents' murders. He had watched his mother be killed in front of him, and he didn't know where his dad was, but he figured he was probably killed too.   
Through investigating he learned that his father, who was a doctor, had gotten himself involved with some bad people. These people were rumored to have been members of a secret criminal organization.  
Eren pushed the thoughts out of his mind, logging into the computer at his desk. He opened up the Internet browser and waited for the page to load. The news flashed in words on the screen, and one headline caught his attention.   
"Documents Leaked Online From Mythical Secret Criminal Organization"


	18. Chapter 18

Dan left the apartment early that morning to meet with Katie for a side mission. It was a small job, but Phil knew the two of them could get it done on their own. Besides, he needed to meet with the resistance and tell them Dan's father's plans were confirmed.  
Sam and Nia greeted him at the bar, which he had learned was named the Quindecim. He didn't quite understand the meaning behind it, or why it was named that at all. All Phil really knew was that Sam had been given the bar and Nia joined her later.  
When Phil exited the elevator and entered the base he saw it was pretty busy. People moved to and fro and he caught sight of Anne looking at some maps in the back. He made his way to her, dodging people who were in his path. Looking at her reminded him of all those years ago when she had looked upon him sympathetically and cared for him when no one else could. She had tucked him in at night and helped him up when he fell and scraped his knees, like a real mother should. If Dan hadn't gotten a real father, Phil was happy he at least got his mother.  
Anne looked up when Phil approached, smiling warmly. "Phillip, nice to see you," she greeted, folding her arms.  
"You too," Phil replied. "I have some important stuff to tell you, Anne, about Donovan..."  
"Come into my office," she said, stopping him as soon as he mentioned her husband's name. It was a subject she never touched upon, he realized. She never even said his name. Anne closed the door behind them to give them some privacy.   
"Donovan is planning to take over the League."  
"Sounds just like him," Anne sighed.  
"Dan said we can't do anything about it, but if we don't the League will become more cruel than it already it is."  
"We can make a move, but not as soon as you'd like. We have to wait until he makes a move," Anne told him. Phil nodded. "And Phillip..."  
"Please, you can call me Phil, you know."  
"Phil," Anne continued. "If anything goes wrong, if we fail our mission, I want you to tell Dan everything. Tell him about the resistance, and that I'm alive, or was."  
"Of course, if something goes wrong he might find out on his own though," Phil laughed.   
"He really does deserve to know," Anne said. "He's been so corrupted by his father, I'm counting on you to break him free of that evil. The League sparked an evil inside my husband that tore our family apart. The two once had big dreams and high hopes. When he joined the League my hopes for a family and a nice life were crushed. I want you and Dan to be happy, I don't want anything to come between your love and your future."  
"I will help him," Phil promised. "He hates Donovan just as much as we do. I'm sure Dan will be okay."  
-

Eren ran up the stairs this time. The elevator was too slow and he was in a hurry once again. He ran passed the desks of his co-workers and toward the captain's office. He was stopped suddenly by a hand grabbing his arm. Eren turned around to see who it was, and looked down slightly to see Levi looking up at him. Levi was the oldest of the two, but the smallest. Eren often teased him about his height, usually earning remarks where Levi would call him a brat.   
"Hey, slow down, what's your rush?" Levi chuckled, looking into Eren's eyes. Eren stared back, his heart pounding in his chest.   
"I have to see the captain," Eren explained, trying to pry Levi's hand off his arm.   
"This isn't more organization, crap, is it?" Levi asked him.   
"It is, but I have real evidence this time! There were documents leaked online form the organization! The guy who leaked them claims to be a former member!"  
Levi sighed, folding his arms across his chest. "Go, before I change my mind."   
Eren smiled down at his boyfriend and continued running to the captain's office. The door was ajar but he knocked anyway, entering when he heard the captain say he could. He stood in front of the desk and the blonde man looked up at him.   
"What is it Jaeger?" he asked impatiently.  
"I know you told me to drop it, but real proof of the organization was leaked online yesterday. I found it after I talked to you. Please, just take a look at it."  
Eren handed him the folder he was clutching. Erwin flipped through it scanning the pages intently.  
"Who leaked these?" he asked.  
"An anonymous person, but he claimed to be a former member of the organization!" Eren answered. Erwin looked up at Eren, who was trying hard to remain calm and collected.   
"I'll make some calls," Erwin began. "But I can't promise anything, Eren."  
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"


	19. Chapter 19

It seemed Dan was getting missions constantly. It was good for Phil, though because the resistance was preparing for Donovan Howell to make a move. Phil could never stop thinking about Dan, and what might happen to him. He was always rambling on about the things he would do to his father, but would he ever go through with any of those horrible acts? And if he did, what would it do to him?  
"Hey, Phil," a voice said. Phil looked up to see Sam standing over him. He stood up and was now looking down at her. She was very small compared to most people in the resistance. "We're having a little get together upstairs tonight, for resistance members. If you want to stop by, you can."  
"Okay, I'll see you tonight maybe, then," Phil grinned. Sam smiled back and left the storage room. Phil had been working in there for hours now, so he decided to walk out and stretch his muscles. Noon was growing near and he felt his stomach rumble. He checked his phone and decided to text Dan.  
Phil: want to meet for lunch?  
Dan: i'm just finishing up here, sure thing  
Phil: usual spot?  
Dan: sounds good  
Phil smiled to himself and tucked his phone into his pocket, heading to the elevator to leave the headquarters. He was about to press the button to call the elevator when a hand grabbed his wrist. He turned around to see Anne, who seemed worried and had an all too familiar look of exhaustion on her face. She glanced around, checking to see if anyone was around. She then turned back to Phil.  
"There's something important you need to know," she said in a hushed, but urgent voice.  
"What is it?" Phil asked.  
"My husband... Donovan, he's making a move tonight," Anne told Phil.  
"Tonight? We have to let everyone know then so we can stop him!"  
"No, Phil, no one can know."  
"What? Why?"  
"He wants to kill me, and Adrian."  
Adrian was Dan's younger brother. Phil hadn't seen him in years, and neither had Dan. Anne had swept him away when Dan's father left to pledge full allegiance to the League, which had been the same day Dan and Phil became official members.  
"We have to get you both to safety, then," Phil urged.  
"I already have arrangements," Anne answered. "But Phil, there is something I need you to do."  
"Of course, anything."  
"I need Dan to believe we're dead."  
"What? Why? I-"  
"Phil, please, it's important."  
"He'll be crushed! I can't do that to him!" Phil argued.  
"You have to, please," Anne begged. "Donovan needs to believe he has succeeded in killing us, and if Dan knows we're alive he will as well." Phil looked her in the eyes, remembering her reassuring gaze giving him strength when he was young and scared. They were same eyes that took him in when his whole world fell crumbling around his feet so many years ago.  
"Okay," Phil sighed.   
-  
Phil sat in their usual booth by the window, tapping his foot on the tiled floor and glancing around the diner. The small place had been the couple's go-to for food when they had first moved into their apartment. It was cheap and right down the street. The head waitress was a kind old lady who thought the two were one of the cutest couples she had ever seen and often slipped them some extra food to take home with them. Phil saw Dan walk through the door and waved him over. He looked tired, but his walk was energetic and he had a spring in his step. It must have been an exciting day, torturing and murdering people.  
"Hey babe," Dan greeted, kissing Phil before taking the seat across from him. The feeling of Dan's lips lingered on Phil's as he watched him take off his coat.   
"How was your day?" Phil asked him.  
"Busy, but good, you?" Dan replied.  
"Boring," Phil lied. "It's lonely in the flat by myself."  
"I know," Dan sighed, taking Phil's hand in his own across the table. "But soon I won't be as busy, and we can have as much time to ourselves as we want."  
"We can take that vacation, maybe?" Phil suggested.  
"Yeah," Dan chuckled.  
-  
Dan was out on a mission late, which meant Phil was able to go to the bar for the resistance get together. Phil noticed for the first time the sign above the door that read "The Quindecim," which he figured was the name of the bar. He went in and was greeted by a cheery glow and the sound of chatter from every corner of the place.  
"Hey Lester!" a voice called. Phil looked to where it came from and saw Sam waving to him from behind the bar. She handed someone a glass of a brown-ish liquid and then walked to the corner of the bar where Phil met her.   
"I'm glad you could make it, want a drink?" Sam asked.  
"Sure, what do you have?" Phil answered.  
"I'll make you my specialty, take a seat."  
Phil sat in one of the high chairs at the bar and watched Sam move around and make whatever concoction she had promised him. She handed it to him in a glass with a lemon perched on the brim. Phil took a sip, the familiar burn of liquor igniting in the back of his throat. Sam's "specialty" tasted of strawberries and alcohol.  
"It's really good," Phil said, smiling to Sam. She grinned and leaned against the bar, opening a bottle of beer and taking a swig. An arm came from behind and snatched the bottle from her hand. Sam turned around to face Nia, who was laughing with a disapproving look on her face.   
"No drinking while serving," Nia said, putting the bottle on a high shelf. Sam pouted and crossed her arms.  
"You're no fun," Sam said to her girlfriend, who laughed and kissed her in reply.  
"Hey, Sam, how did you name this place?" Phil asked.  
"Oh no, don't get her started," Nia groaned.  
"It's a reference to an anime I love," Sam answered, ignoring Nia's comment.  
"An anime?" Phil asked.  
"I'm going back to the other side," Nia called.  
"They're Japanese cartoons, but not like kids cartoons because they're way better," Sam answered. "The Quindecim was the name of a bar in this anime called Death Parade that was about what happens after you die and it was so good and so sad and I'm rambling on aren't I?"  
Phil chuckled. "It's fine, and it sounds interesting. I might have to check it out."  
Phil's phone starting buzzing in his pocket, and he took it out to hit answer without checking to see who was calling him. He got out of his seat and moved close to the window.  
"Hello?"  
"Phil! I need you!" Dan's voice said through the phone. He sounded distressed, which was something Phil hadn't heard probably ever.  
"Dan? Are you alright?" Phil asked, acting clueless even though he was pretty sure he knew what was happening.  
"Please, come to my mom's place. Phil I need you."  
Phil ended the call and left without saying goodbye, his face meeting the cold air outside and sending a chill up his spine. Phil ran faster than he ever had before, letting his feet guide him to his destination. It was usually Phil who was the one needing the other, which is why Phil knew he had to hurry. He should have stayed home, he should have been there when it happened. Phil had known what was going to happen, and yet he did nothing to help Dan. All he could do now was get to him.  
When he got there he saw Dan in front of the house that had belonged to Anne and Adrian. It was up in flames, and Dan was staring at it from the sidewalk. "Dan!" Phil called. Dan's head turned and Phil saw the tears streaming down his face. He ran toward him and Dan collapsed in his arms, sobbing into Phil's chest.  
"He killed them!" he shouted through gritted teeth, his voice muffled by Phil's shirt. "He fucking murdered them!"  
Phil soothed Dan and help him close. He could hear sirens in the distance.  
"Dan, we have to go," Phil whispered. Dan nodded and got to his feet, looking at the house one last time.   
"He'll pay for this," Dan said. "He'll feel as much pain as he's made me feel."


	20. Chapter 20

Dan stayed home for a week. Phil called the Hideout to report them both sick so Dan could take time to grieve and Phil could take care of him. For most of the time he would sit on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket and staring at the television. The rest of his time was spent in the office, but he wouldn't let Phil inside to see what he was doing.   
After that week was over Phil coaxed Dan into going back to work. He knew that Dan found joy in the murder and torture of others - much to Phil's dislike - and hoped maybe he'd cheer up. But that also meant having to continue making up excuses and lies to meet with the resistance instead of the League.   
Dan walked quietly up the Hideout stairs, trying not to draw attention to himself. He wanted to find Katie, she'd understand.   
'No one understands you,' a voice inside Dan's head said. 'They're all liars and fakes.'  
Dan shook away what the voice was saying when he saw Katie walking out of a room. She spotted him and walked over, pulling him into a tight hug.   
"I'm so sorry, Dan," she whispered.  
"Thanks," he replied as they parted.   
"If you need anything just let me know," Katie told him. "The fucker deserves what's coming to him."  
"What? How do you-?" Dan started, wondering how she knew he had been planning his father's death for the past week.  
"I've known you since for years, Dan. You forget how well I know you."  
Phil returned home before Dan, and as he began taking things out of shopping bags to make dinner he looked over at the door to the office. It usually wasn't shut, but Phil realized Dan had been in there a lot over the past week. He walked over and turned the knob, finding it unlocked and so he stepped inside. Hanging on the walls were pictures of Dan's father on almost every available space. Surrounding them were sticky notes with descriptions of murder tactics and assassination plans. It was like Dan had come up with a hundred or more ways to kill Donovan Howell.   
Phil left and closed the door behind him before he could think anything more about it. Dan was just grieving, there was no way he'd go through with it, right? Certainly he'd leave it alone, right? Phil wanted to believe that, but he knew Dan better than anyone. He would do it in a heartbeat without any second thoughts. Dan had killed in cold blood before. It was no doubt that if Dan saw him again, his father would die.  
When Dan got him dinner was ready, and Phil said nothing about what he saw. They ate in silence, but in a much less comfortable one than normal. Something seemed off to Phil.  
'He's not talking to you, something must be up,' the voice in Dan's head said again. 'He's hiding something.'  
Later as they prepared for bed Dan stopped and looked at Phil. He was so naturally beautiful. His pale skin and blue eyes were a heavenly site to him. His dark hair was soft and Dan wanted to reach out and play with it.   
"What do you do when I'm not home?" Dan blurted out. Phil looked at him confused.  
"I just kind of chill, why?"  
"You're just always skipping out of going to the Hideout. If there's something wrong you can tell me."  
"Nothing's wrong."  
"Are you sure? You're not lying to me, are you?"  
"Of course not, Dan," Phil answered, reaching across the bed to take Dan's hand. "I love you, and if anything happened you know I'd tell you."  
"Okay," Dan nodded.  
\----  
Eren got home late that night, walking into a dark apartment lit only by moonlight. He didn't even notice the person sitting on the couch until he spoke. "Erwin told me," the person said, standing up. He was much shorter than Eren, despite his older age.  
"Levi, I can-" Eren began.  
"Eren, you're going to run yourself into the ground with this," Levi interrupted. "You can't keep chasing myths."  
"Levi, I have too! Don't you understand?" Eren argued.  
"Of course I understand! I understand better than anyone, but you can't throw your life away for it."  
"I'm sorry, I just, I want them dead. I know I shouldn't say that, but I do."  
"Well, if you ever do try to kill someone I'll be there to stop you, and so will Mikasa."  
"I don't even want to think about Mikasa. She's going to kill me when she hears about this."  
"I'm surprised she hasn't killed you already," Levi joked, letting Eren rest his head on his own as they embraced.  
"Just promise me you'll be careful wherever this investigation takes you," Levi said. Eren nodded.


	21. Chapter 21

Phil fixed his hair in the mirror, adjusting his tie as well. He and Dan were going out tonight to remind themselves of the old times when there were no major distractions and there was only the two of them and their love for each other. When he left the bathroom Dan was standing in the hallway, looking at his phone and not noticing Phil. He studied his boyfriend intently, trying to memorize the beautiful man in front of him. Dan's hair was styled in its usual way, and he was wearing a plain white shirt with a black blazer over it. He looked so sophisticated, elegant, and simply beautiful.  
Dan looked up from his phone and saw Phil staring at him. He blushed and laughed. "What?"  
"Nothing, you're just beautiful," Phil answered. Dan blushed harder and took Phil's hand as they left the apartment.   
The restaurant they had made the reservation at was very fancy. Little lights were strung around the tall ceiling and the tables were walled off from one another by plants. The hostess showed them to their table and they took their seats, accepting some wine that was sitting in the center. The two looked at each other fondly. The lights complimented Phil's eyes, and they made Dan glow.   
Phil hadn't seen Dan smile genuinely in what felt like forever. He had a great smile that lit up his face and spread from one ear to the other. His laugh filled him with joy every time her heard it.   
"It's a lot different than takeout, huh?" Dan joked. Phil laughed and nodded.   
\----  
Katie left the hotel with her hands in her pockets and her head down. She was trying to avoid her boyfriend being able to figure out where she was via the security cameras. She walked a few blocks away before finally removing the hood from her head. Her destination was Joe and Caspar's. They had invited her over for dinner and to hang out, knowing she probably needed a getaway.   
It was hell to spend so many nights with her "boyfriend." He was a misogynistic asshole who was wanted to eventually marry Katie for peace between their families. Assassin families were very similar to royalty, at least their principles were. Katie hated it, but her older sister had already defied their parents, and she didn't want them to lose another child.   
When Katie arrived Joe answered the door with a huge grin on his face. Katie thought he looked really cute, and stepped inside. "Hey Katie!" Caspar greeted from the couch. She took off her shoes and coat and sat in the armchair. The boys were playing some sort of video game and Katie watched it with interest.  
"Can I have a go?" she asked. Joe nodded and moved over, handing her the controller. Caspar started the game and Katie followed the instructions Joe had given her about the buttons. The game was a shooting one, and she had ten kills under her belt in two minutes. She was focused on the screen in concentration, but the boys looked over at her, impressed at her quick adequacy.   
Later the doorbell rang and their pizza was placed on the kitchen counter. They gathered around to eat and the conversation turned toward the League. "Have you guys heard about the leaked documents?" Caspar asked them. Katie shook her head. "An old League member put some old mission files online. Rumor is the police are all over them."  
"I think Dan was the one who killed the guy who did it," Katie said.   
"How are they?" Joe asked. "Dan and Phil."  
"They're good," Katie answered.  
"Phil hasn't been by the Hideout much," Caspar added.  
"I really shouldn't be telling you guys this, but Dan's father killed his mother and brother," Katie said.  
"Seriously?" Joe gasped. "That's awful."  
"It's why they took a week off. They think Dan's father is up to something bad."  
"What kind of something bad?" Caspar asked.  
"I think he wants to take over the League."  
\----  
Dan and Phil walked hand in hand back to their apartment. They took a small detour to spend more time outside in the beautiful, clear night. When not under a street light the stars in the sky were clear to see. The moon was bright tonight as well, and it lit up the water under the bridge they passed. They stopped on the center of the bridge, leaning on the rail and keeping their hands locked together.  
"The sky is pretty," Dan sighed.  
"Yeah," Phil agreed.  
"But do you what's prettier?" Dan asked him. Phil shook his head. "You."  
Phil blushed and laughed. "That was cheesy."  
"But true."  
They stood in silence for a while, an idea coming into Dan's mind.  
'He'd never say yes,' the voice in his head said. 'He doesn't love you as much as he says he does.'  
Dan ignored the voice and looked at Phil, taking a deep breath as he felt butterflies squirming in his stomach.   
"Phil," he said. "I didn't think I was going to do this for awhile, but I might as well do it right now."  
Phil looked at him, confused and unsure what he was doing. His face lit up in understanding as Dan kneeled down on one knee.  
"I don't have a ring, because this is really spontaneous, but Phil, I fucking love you. I love you with all my soul, all my heart, and every fiber of my being. I don't know what I'd do without you, because you are my second half. You keep me in balance, you keep me in check. Whenever I feel like I'm going insane or are on the verge of breaking down, you're there and you make me better. I'm a better person around you. Philip Michael Lester, I love you. Will you marry me?"  
Phil stared down at him, blinking away the tears that were streaming from his eyes. "Yes, of course, Dan I love you."  
Dan stood up and kissed him, the sweet and familiar taste and feel of each other filling their senses. They pulled apart and looked at each other, as if memorizing each other's faces.   
They continued on their way home, never letting go of each other's hands. They passed an alley where noises could be heard. They ignored it and kept walking, but soon they heard footsteps behind them. Dan took a few glances back and saw someone walking behind him. They were in a black hoodie with the hood pulled up over their head, and their hands in their pockets. Dan grew suspicious and the two quickened their pace.   
Dan was about to look back again, but was interrupted by someone grabbing him. He squirmed out of the person's hands and turned to kick him in the gut. His assailant stumbled backward and then ran at him again when he regained his composure. Dan blocked a punch aimed at his face and landed a blow at the man's chin, leaving him disoriented for a moment. Dan took the chance to punch him in the face and get him on the ground. The man seemed to be unconscious and Dan turned around, hearing sounds from behind him. He saw Phil face to face with the guy who had been following them. Dan saw the man's hand was holding something, and Phil looked at Dan and suddenly he understood.   
Dan shouted and ran at the guy, pulling him to the ground and repeatedly punching his face. "D-Dan," Phil stuttered behind him. Dan stopped and looked at his boyfriend, who pulled a bloody knife from his torso. Phil started to fall to the ground, but Dan jumped up and caught him before he could hit the pavement. Phil's white shirt was stained red, and Dan's hands were too. He cradled Phil in his arms, trying to think and not freak out.   
'He's going to die,' the voice said. 'And it'll be your fault.'  
Dan picked Phil up and started running, knowing just where he had to take him.   
"Hang in there, Philly," he whispered. "I've got you."


	22. Chapter 22

Dan's shirt was now stained with Phil's blood, but he didn't care. All he was paying attention to was where he was going and Phil's breathing. He had to stay alive. He couldn't die.   
'But he will,' the voice said. 'He will die in your arms because you couldn't protect.'  
"I did, I tried to protect him," Dan replied aloud.  
'Trying wasn't good enough this time.'  
They finally made it to their destination and Dan used his finger to ring the doorbell. He heard movement from inside and then the door opened, revealing a tall man with messy hair and plaid pajama pants on. He took one look at the pair and held out his arms to take Phil. Dan followed him inside, his heart pounding and more tears escaping from his eyes.  
"Tan!" the man called, leading Dan quickly up the stairs.  
"Jim, who was at the door?" she replied, appearing in one of the door ways.   
"Get the first aid stuff," Jim answered, and she nodded and ran down the hall. Jim placed Phil in a bed in a vacant room. Dan stood back against the wall until Jim ushered him over. "Help me get his shirt off," Jim instructed.  
Dan lifted Phil's upper body and removed his blazer. Jim turned to Tanya who came in with medical supplies as Dan unbuttoned and removed Phil's bloodstained, white shirt. Then he moved away again, watching the couple as they worked.   
'Don't die, Philly,' Dan pleaded internally. 'I need you.'  
\----  
As the next day dawned Eren and Levi walked to work together. They were investigating a crime scene from last night. After showing their badges they ducked under the police tape and approached the officer who was sipping a coffee as he watched over the spot. "Detectives Jaeger and Ackerman," he greeted. "Nice to see ya fellas."  
"What do we have, here?" Eren asked him.  
"One dead body, one bloody knife, and some more blood," the officer answered.   
"Get samples of all the blood," Levi instructed. "We'll get those tested and the knife as well."  
Eren moved closer to the body, kneeling down beside it as he pulled on gloves. The way he was killed was obvious from the bruises on his face. Eren searched his pockets and found a wallet, pulling out an ID and glancing at it quickly before handing it to Levi. "At least we've got a name, let's hope the blood can get a match."  
\----  
Dan was sitting in chair next to the bed Phil was sleeping on. He was still shirtless and bandages were wrapped around his torso. Jim and Tanya had stitched him up and gave him painkillers. Phil had slept soundly, but Dan hadn't been able to sleep a wink. He was going back to the way he was when his mother and brother had died. He wanted his father dead. All he could imagine when he closed his eyes was his father lying in a pool of his own blood. It was a beautiful sight to Dan, but not the right one for now. He needed to focus on Phil right now.  
He turned as Phil stirred, and leaned over to take Phil's hand in his. "Hey, Philly," Dan whispered. Phil opened his eyes and smiled at Dan, who used his other hand to move Phil's hair from his face.  
"Hey, Dan," Phil replied, taking in how beautiful the sunlight coming in from the window made Dan look.  
"Jim and Tanya say you're alright. You're okay," Dan said, more to reassure himself than to tell Phil. He nodded in reply.  
"We definitely have to take that vacation now," Phil joked. Dan laughed and leaned in to kiss him. They locked lips for only a few seconds, but it was sweet and fulfilling.  
"He will pay for this," Dan said. "I'll kill him for hurting you."  
\----  
"Anything, yet?" Levi asked Hanji, the forensic scientists helping them with their case.   
"Yes! We've got matches on one of the blood samples from some old hospital records. The other two I'm afraid are not in the system," Hanji answered, the enthusiasm in her voice almost too much for Levi at this moment.  
"Who is it?" he pushed.  
"Philip Lester," she replied. "His blood was on the knife. The records are from when he was eleven."  
"Thanks, Hanji," Levi said, wanting to leave before he'd have to be around her for more time than he had to.  
"Levi wait!" Hanji called.   
"What?"   
"If you and Eren ever want to go grab a drink you should call me! I'm pretty lonely a lot of the time," Hanji admitted.  
"Maybe if you spent less time in the lab you'd make more friends," Levi replied, leaving the room and heading to the elevator. He went up a few levels to the office, where Eren was sat in his cubicle waiting for him.  
"Anything?" Eren asked when Levi sat in his desk chair, pulling up to the computer.  
"We've got the name of the person whose blood was on the knife," Levi answered. "Nothing else, though."  
"Who is it?"   
"Philip Lester," Levi said as he pulled up information on him. There was a photo from a driver's license, along with the other required information. Eren pointed to the address that was listed as his.


	23. Chapter 23

Eren and Levi made their way to the apartment of Phil Lester. They had forensics searching for fingerprints on the knife now, but they hoped they'd find this guy and get some answers as to what happened at the crime scene. Levi knocked on the door, hearing no sound from inside. Eren reached over and turned the door knob, Levi beginning to protest when it swung open. "Must've forgot to lock it," Eren shrugged, pushing past Levi to step inside.  
"Eren you can't go in!" he argued. "We don't have a warrant or probable cause!"   
"Does this gun sitting in the hallway count as probable cause?" Eren shouted from inside. Levi followed his voice to where he was standing beside a large shotgun which was leaning against the wall.   
"I guess..." Levi started.  
"We don't have to tell them everything," Eren said, walking into what seemed to be the living room of the apartment. "We can say the door was ajar and we could already see the gun."  
"You shouldn't be this comfortable with lying," Levi called back, heading in the opposite direction toward the bedrooms.   
"It's not like they care, and neither do I. As long as we get results, that's all that matters."  
"That mindset will get you fired."  
"I'll be fine. You worry too much."  
"You're in such a great mood lately," Levi said. "Is it because of the criminal organization stuff?"  
"Of course," Eren replied. "Erwin said there were tons of development with the case. He also said that when a real investigation starts we can be put on it."  
"That's great," Levi muttered, opening the bedside drawers. Inside one was a small hand-held gun, and there was a similar one in the opposite drawer. That was already a reason to arrest Philip Lester if they found him. The shotgun needed a license, but having one in the city was rare and useless. Levi lifted the pillows on the bed to find a knife hidden under the left pillow. Levi couldn't be sure, but he had the suspicion that more than person lived in this apartment. He met back with Eren in the kitchen.   
"Find anything?" Levi asked.  
"Lots of weapons, and something really strange in the office," Eren told him.  
"Same with the weapons," Levi replied. "What was strange?"   
"Let me show you," he said, leading Levi out of the kitchen and into a room a few doors down. At first it seemed like a normal office, with two swivel chairs at the white desk and big computers, but then you noticed what was hung around the walls. Photographs of a certain man were pinned around the room, and various post-it notes with messy handwriting were stuck beside them. Levi plucked one off the wall, reading it out loud.  
"'Chop his head off and then slice into thinner pieces?'" he read. "The fuck does that mean?"  
"That's disgusting," Eren remarked, looking over Levi's shoulder at the note.   
"We should try and get an ID on the guy in the photographs," Levi suggested. "Let's take some pictures of this room and the weapons we found."  
\----  
Tonight the Hideout was filled with people. It was the perfect night for an attack. Donovan Howell stood on the balcony looking down at the hustle and bustle below. The old warehouse was worn down, but it had the perfect amount of space for storage and people. He could pick out the people in the crowd who were his, and he licked his lips in anticipation of what was about to happen.  
"Donovan," a voice said behind him. He turned and saw the current leader of this Hideout.   
"Shaun, how are you?" Donovan asked, faking sincerity and a smile.  
"Good, good, how's that boy of yours? He hasn't been in much lately," Shaun said.  
"You know we don't talk much," Donovan replied. "How's your boy? Troye is his name, right?"  
"Yeah, that's him. He's got himself a boyfriend, an older kid from the League. I think Troye's finally gotten used to being a member."  
"That's good. I remember when Dan and Phil starting training, I felt so proud of them."  
"Yeah, it's quite a thing to watch them grow up and become men."  
"I'm afraid you won't get to watch much more of Troye's growth," Donovan sighed.  
"What, what do you mean?" Shaun stuttered.  
"Oh, just that, this place is now under my control," Donovan smirked, taking the small handgun from his coat pocket and shooting the man in the chest. Shaun Mellet fell the ground, blood staining his shirt where the bullet hit him. With that gunshot a chain reaction started, and more gunshots fired from below.   
Donovan looked out at the dead bodies now littering the floor. His loyal followers looked up to him, guns in their hands and shouts of excitement being called.   
"This Hideout is ours now!" Donovan yelled to them. "Let this day mark our first success on our way to global domination!"


	24. Chapter 24

Phil was finally allowed to get out of bed. He wanted to sooner, but Tanya refused to let him in case his stitches came loose. Once they were taken out he was allowed to carefully walk around and resume normal activities. He and Dan sat together on the guest bed, their backs against the head board and their legs intertwined. Phil's head was on Dan's shoulder, and all was quiet. It seemed that time had slowed down for the past hour and given them time to enjoy each other's company. Dan's phone began vibrating loudly on the nightstand. He reached over and picked it up, glancing quickly at the caller ID.  
"Katie? What's up?" he said when he placed the phone to his ear.  
"Where are you right now?" she asked, sounding worried and out of breath.  
"Jim and Tanya's, why?"  
"Why are you at... nevermind. Something happened at the Hideout, I'll explain when I get there."  
Then she hung up, leaving Dan in silence once again. "Who was it?" Phil asked.  
"It was Katie," Dan answered. "Something is wrong."  
Dan stood up and so did Phil. They went downstairs to where Jim and Tanya were sitting in the living room.  
"Have you heard anything about the Hideout?" Dan asked them. They shook their heads. "Katie just called me. Apparently something happened there."  
"Like what?" Jim questioned.  
"I'm not sure, but I think I know," Dan replied.   
Soon there was a knock at the door, and Tanya went to answer it. She came back with Katie, Joe, and Caspar behind her.   
"Is it my dad?" Dan asked her. Katie nodded.  
"He and his followers killed everyone who was there last night. They've taken over the Hideout completely. If you go there and try to fight them they gun you down."  
"We have to stop him," Jim said.  
"We can't," Dan muttered. He was pacing back and forth, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He's too powerful, and we don't have enough manpower. We'd only be able to get like ten people or so on our side? It'd be a suicide mission."  
"Maybe not..." Phil said. Everyone looked at him, and his heart dropped. It was time to tell the truth. It was time for everyone to know. "I have something to confess."  
"Phil?" Dan squeaked, stopping his pacing to stare at his boyfriend.  
"I've been working for a rebel group behind your backs," Phil confessed. There were a few small gasps, and some mutters he couldn't make out, but Phil could only look at Dan. His face was a mix of realization and anger. "They have enough people to take him down. If we teamed up with them..."  
"Phil, why?" Dan interrupted. "I thought you were happy."  
"I was, with you, but not with our jobs. I'm tired of the killing and the violence, Dan. I want us to have normal lives."  
"But we can't be normal!" Dan protested. "You know that! What else could we do?"  
"I don't know, Dan! I don't know. But what I do know is that I don't want to live this life anymore."  
"Dan, like it or not, we need these rebels right now," Katie said. "We don't have enough people without them."  
"Okay," Dan agreed. "Let's meet these rebels."  
\----  
Phil led Katie and Dan to the bar where he had spent so much time the past few weeks. When he opened the door Sam greeted him from where she was cleaning the counter, but then noticed the two people behind him.  
"Phil, what the fuck are you..." Sam trailed off when she saw who the second stranger was. Even if Phil hadn't already known the two were sisters, he would have been able to tell by their appearance. They had the same color hair, and their faces were the same shape. However, Katie held herself differently than Sam, in a more feminine way.   
"Sam?" Katie gasped, looking up at the girl. "Phil, why didn't you tell me...?"  
"Because I didn't want him to," Sam answered. "The League can't know about what we do here."  
"Well my friends do, now," Phil said. "Dan's father made his move, we need to act."  
"He did? Fuck, okay, I'll let you guys in, I guess," Sam said, moving to the storage room. Phil led the two after her and they went down to the secret base together. When the doors opened all eyes turned to them. Phil felt awkward, but stepped out of the elevator and into the room. From the crowd of people came Anne, back straight and head high. Dan stepped forward a little, past Phil to look at the woman he thought was dead.  
"M-mom?" Dan stuttered.  
"Hello, Dan."


	25. Chapter 25

Anne took the three of them to the same office Phil had sat in when he first joined. He felt like Ashton, who had recruited him to the resistance. He wished the Australian was still around to help them with all of this. Dan sat in the chair and Anne sat behind the desk. Phil remained standing alongside Katie.  
"Why did you bring them here, Phil?" Anne asked.  
"Donovan has taken over the Hideout," Phil explained. "We don't have enough people to fight him on our own. We need your help."  
"This is what we've been preparing for, so of course we will fight. Have your people meet with me and my forces in the woods around the Hideout at nine o'clock tonight."  
"So you've been alive this whole time," Dan said. "And you didn't feel the need to tell me?"  
"I couldn't tell you," Anne answered.  
"Did Phil know?" Dan demanded.  
"Yes, but I ordered him not to tell you. He wanted you to know, but if you had then Donovan would have found out. I needed him to believe he had succeeded in killing me."  
"Is Adrian alive, too?"  
"He is."  
'She betrayed you.'  
She had to.  
'She doesn't love you.'  
That's not true.  
"Are you alright?" Anne asked her son. Dan nodded.   
"Yeah, we should get going," Dan said, standing up from his chair. "What's the plan?"  
\----  
Jim and Tanya called everyone they knew would help to their house. Zoe, Alfie, Marcus, Niomi, Tyler, and Troye were the only people they could trust. Joe and Caspar gave them the news when they all arrived. Troye's eyes were puffy and red, undoubtedly because of hearing the news that his father had been killed in the massacre. When Dan, Phil, and Katie returned everyone gathered in the living room to hear the plan.  
Phil got a large piece of paper from Tanya and a pen, he drew a rectangle to represent the Hideout and then clouds for the forest around it.   
"They have a decoy team going in thirty minutes before the main forces," Phil started. "Their job is simply to distract while we quietly take out any opposition on the outside. Once that's done we'll sneak inside through the various side entrances. The goal is to take out all the enemies, and to get Dan and his mom to Donovan."  
Dan watched Phil reciting all this from afar. Phil was in his element when working with others, and when using his brain. He had such great potential in their line of work, and Dan felt stupid for never realizing how badly Phil wanted out. He had been dragged in when he was eleven and handed a gun. When he was fourteen he was dragged into combat, without sufficient skill or enough training. When he was eighteen he became a full member of a League that tortured him mentally and had given him anxiety around an object his job required him to use. Phil was a victim, and Dan was so angry that he had not noticed or done anything sooner. He owed so much to his boyfriend... no his fiancé now.   
I won't let anything bad happen to you ever again, Dan swore in his head. I promise Philly.  
'You won't be able to.'  
I will.  
'He'll probably end up dead because you couldn't protect him. You're weak and pathetic. There's no way you can save him from anything.'  
"Dan, you okay?" Phil's voice asked him. Dan came to, realizing how tightly he was clenching his fists. He was on the floor... had he passed out?  
"I'm fine... what happened?" Dan questioned.  
"You just collapsed, are you sure you're okay, babe?" Phil continued, Dan's heart fluttering a little at the pet name.   
"Yeah, totally."  
"You should still lay down for a while," Jim chimed in. "We still have a few hours before we have to gear up."  
"Okay, yeah," Dan agreed, letting Phil help him to his feet. The two left to go upstairs to the guest bedroom. Dan plopped on the bed, Phil laying beside him, just like they had before they found out about everything.   
"We're going to win," Phil whispered, pressing his cheek against Dan's chest.   
'No, you won't.'  
"Yeah, of course."


	26. Chapter 26

The League members met with the resistance just as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Dan stood beside Anne, who was watching the Hideout. The men outside were pacing the grounds. Dan found it typical that his father wouldn't hire any women. He may not be entirely homophobic, but he was a misogynistic asshole.   
"When this is over, I want to be closer to you," Anne said, taking Dan by surprise. "Adrian misses you. "  
"Yeah, I'd like that," Dan answered.   
"But I want you to be prepared in case something is to happen to me, tonight," Anne continued. "I have arrangements for Adrian to live in the countryside with my sister, your Aunt Helena. Promise me you'll visit him. If I don't make it out..."  
"I'll take care of him," Dan assured her. "I promise."  
'Empty promises. Tsk, tsk.'  
\----  
Katie stood leaning against a tree, trying hard not to a swig from the small bottle of liquor she kept hidden in her coat. She watched the people around her studiously. Most of them were resistance, not League. Maybe she'd join Phil, when this was all over. Maybe it'd be nice to live the way she wanted to.   
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed someone familiar. Katie watched her older sister lock lips with another girl about the same height as her. She tried to pull her attention away, but she couldn't help staring at the sibling she hadn't seen in so long. Sam had barely grown taller, and now Katie surpassed her. Her hair was cut short and had put on a few pounds, but she was still fit. She looked away when she began walking in her direction.  
"Katie, can I talk to you?" Sam asked. Katie looked up at her. Her sister. The person she had once trusted the most.  
"Yeah," Katie said. Sam stood beside her, her hands fidgeting at her side. "So, you have a girlfriend," Katie said.  
"Yeah, and you have a boyfriend," Sam replied.  
"How do you know about...?"  
"Phil told me," Sam answered before she could finish. "I asked him about you. I know it's an arranged relationship..."  
"I really don't want to talk about it," Katie interrupted.  
Sam nodded. "I'm sorry, for leaving."  
"Don't be."  
"But I left you with Mom and Dad who of course wouldn't treat you fairly, and I left Clarissa..."  
"I understand now, why you ran."  
"What? I thought you..."  
"I was only ever mad because I was young and I didn't yet understand all of it. I thought it was just about your sexuality, but it was more than that. What's happening to me now is what would have happened to you. So I get it. And if anyone should be apologizing it should be me for pushing you away."  
"Well fuck, this went much better than I expected," Sam joked, earning a laugh from Katie.  
"Let's stay together from now on," Katie suggested. "Like real sisters do."  
\----  
"I'm going!" Phil argued, walking after Dan who was heading into his position.  
"No you're not! You're still not fully healed!" Dan objected.  
"I'll be fine! I can't just sit here while you all put your lives on the line in there."  
"I"m sorry, Philly, but you just can't come. If you won't do it for yourself, then do it for me. When this is all over I want to see your beautiful face waiting for me," Dan said, taking Phil's face in his hands.   
"Fine, but be careful, please," Phil sighed. Dan nodded and pulled Phil closer, locking their lips together in a passionate kiss.   
'At least if you die he'll finally be happy.'


	27. Chapter 27

Dan led his team across the field toward the Hideout. He was with Katie, Joe, Caspar, and two resistance members his mother had introduced him to named PJ and Chris. Dan crept up behind a guard and put him in a choke hold, setting him on the ground once he was dead. He motioned for his team mates to join him behind the truck he was crouched behind.   
"Did you really have to kill him?" PJ whispered to Dan.  
"Do you want to get this job done, or not?" Dan retorted.   
'Killing is the only way to solve anything.'  
Katie went ahead this time, doing the same thing Dan had to a guard right outside the side door they were assigned to enter through. When the guard was on the ground she motioned for them to follow. They entered the Hideout and crept silently along the hallway. They could see the main room of the place just ahead, but it was too dangerous to enter just yet. The large room had the majority of Donovan's followers.   
They could hear laughing, and when they got to the end of the hallway they could see what was going on. In the center of the room the three former Australian League members were on their knees with their hands behind their backs. They must have been the decoy team. The men around them were laughing and drinking, seemingly celebrating their victory. Dan inhaled sharply when he saw his father walking up to the three captives. He wanted to run at him and shoot a bullet down his throat, but running out now was suicide.   
"You asshole! You killed Ashton!" Luke screamed at Donovan.   
"Ashton? Was that the lad spilling all my secrets? Mm, yes, my son told me about him," Donovan replied.   
"I couldn't even see his body!" Luke yelled.  
"That was the point. What was he, your boy toy?"  
"I loved him!"   
"Well, then you can join him," Donovan spat, putting his gun to Luke's head and pulling the trigger.   
"No!" Michael cried, he and Calum staring in anger and shock.  
"Don't cause any trouble, or you'll be next," Donovan told them, heading up the stairs to the office.   
Dan noticed something blinking across the room. It was the signal that it was time to attack,  
"It's go time," Dan told his team, taking his gun and cocking it.   
The room exploded in open fire. The men inside ducked for cover, and the resistance moved into the room. Dan shot two men before ducking behind a crate. He pulled out his knife and ran at a guy close by, slicing his throat and stealing his larger weapon.   
Katie and Joe were behind the same overturned table. They took turns peeking over to fire at those shooting at them. Joe had lost sight of Caspar, but he knew he would be alright and tried to focus on the task at hand. The two decided to try and get Calum and Michael. They ran for the center as they fired off rounds. They slid safely behind the crates the two captives were behind and Katie took a knife from her belt to cut the ropes binding their wrists.  
"Thanks," Michael said to her, rubbing his wrists to relieve the slight pain.   
\----  
Across the room Anne had made her way up the stairs. The room below was full of shouts and bodies, guns firing every few seconds. It was like Donovan had placed objects around the place in anticipation of such a fight. She saw him watching over it all, resting his elbows on the railing.   
"Is this what you wanted?" Anne asked her husband.  
"Remember when I first brought Dan here? He was so enthusiastic about it all," Donovan reminisced.  
"He was eight," Anne replied. "He was a child, and you took away what is most precious about a child."  
"And what would that be?"   
"Innocence," Anne explained. "You made our son something unrecognizable to me."  
"I helped him to follow the path he was destined for," Donovan objected, now turning to his wife. "I helped him to follow in my footsteps."  
"We had dreams, Donny," Anne sighed. "When we got married, all we wanted was a family and a happy life. Then you joined the League and you became a different person. I loved you, Donny, but now I don't know who you are."  
"I'm still the same man I was back then," Donovan replied, taking Anne's hand and pulling her closer. "I just have bigger, and better dreams."  
Anne didn't even see him move his hand, but before she could try to stop him, Donovan pulled a knife from his pocket and stabbed it into Anne's side. She let out a noise and fell to the ground, her hands wrapping around the handle of the knife protruding from her. Donovan watched as she bled out on the floor, moving only to turn back to watch the fight below.  
\----  
Dan had made his way back to Katie and Joe. They were close to the stairs, but not close enough. Dan had to get up to his father. He had to make him pay.  
'He needs to suffer for what he's done.'  
Yes, he does.  
'He hurt Phil.'  
He hurt Phil.  
'He has to die.'  
He has to die.  
"Dan, go! We'll cover you!" Katie yelled. Dan nodded and made a dash for the staircase. He heard fire opening up behind him as he rushed up and onto the balcony that overlooked the warehouse. He took a moment to catch his breath before pulling himself to his feet. Dan pocketed his knife inside his coat, and held a small handgun he had picked up in his left hand. His father was looking down at the warehouse, undoubtedly enjoying himself as he watched countless people get killed.   
"It's over," Dan called to him, catching his attention.  
"No, it has only just begun," he replied, opening his arms as he said it.   
"Who is that behind you?" Dan asked, noticing the body and the pool of blood.  
"Why don't you see for yourself?"   
Dan was skeptical, but he moved forward, walking past his father to look at the body. He recognized the short blonde hair, the wrinkles in her hand...  
"You monster!" Dan screamed, trying to hold back the tears that wanted to come out.


	28. Chapter 28

/It was a sunny day, and Dan could remember it so clearly. He begged his mom to let Phil come over to play, and when the ginger-haired boy arrived they ran outside in the backyard. Anne watched them from the window of the kitchen. She was content in that moment, because that was all she had ever wanted. A nice house, a nice family, a nice life. But there was one thing in the way, Donovan's new job. He was almost always off doing jobs late at night, and every time Dan's little voice asked if his dad could tuck him into bed it broke Anne's heart a little more. How would she raise the one on the way without a father? It wasn't the type of life she wanted for her children.  
"Anne?" a voice called. She looked to see Donovan walking into the kitchen. He flashed her a smile and she gave back one that was insincere. How was he going to react to this?  
"Donny," Anne said, faking affection. "How was work?"  
"Good, good," he replied. "I'll be gone tonight on another job."  
"Of course," Anne nodded, looking back at Dan and Phil in the yard.  
"Phil's over?" Donovan noticed. "He's a good kid. He's around so often it's kind of like we have a second son."  
"Donny, there's something I need to tell you," Anne rushed out.  
"What is it?"  
"I'm pregnant."  
"You are?"  
Anne nodded. "I found out a few days ago."  
"It's mine, right?"  
"Of course, Donny, you're the only man I've had sex with since I was twenty-three!"  
"Okay, well, great! Another bundle of joy to add to the house!" Donovan smiled, relieving Anne a bit. As long as her children were happy, Donovan could do whatever he wanted.  
"There's also something I'd like to ask of you," Anne said. "Could you try to be home more often? Dan misses you."  
"I can arrange that," Donovan answered, kissing his wife's forehead. "But, I had an idea."  
"An idea?" Anne questioned.  
"I want to take Dan with me to work."  
"Take Dan to work? Donny he's eight!"  
"He's old enough to learn my craft."  
"Your craft?" Anne repeated incredulously. "He is a child! You kill people for a living! You cannot drag a child into something like that!"  
"Why not? I think he'd love it!"  
"Love it? He doesn't even fully understand what it means to die yet! Donovan are you out of your mind?"  
"He is coming with me whether you like it or not!" Donovan shouted.  
"No he is not!" Anne shouted back. How could the thought even cross his mind? Before Anne could continue she felt a hand hit her face. Her hands instinctively went up to clutch her stinging cheek.  
"I... I..." Donovan stuttered.  
"Get. Out," Anne ordered. "Come back when you've reevaluated what you have just done."/  
\----  
"You monster!" Dan screamed, trying to hold back the tears that wanted to come out.  
"I almost forgot to ask, how's your boyfriend? I did instruct my men not to strike anything vital," Donovan said to his son.  
"You bastard..."  
"Now, now, no need for such language, Daniel. He's alive, isn't he?"  
"That's not the point. You hurt someone I love. Phil, Mum, Adrian; you've caused them all pain. Now you have to pay the price."  
Dan charged at his father, not even realizing the gun had slipped from his hand. Donovan blocked Dan's first blow, but didn't see the second and staggered backward as he was hit in the gut. He ran back at his son in retaliation, hitting him square in the jaw. Dan fell to his knees in pain.  
'Get back up.'  
I have to stand up.  
'The son of a bitch has to pay.'  
He has to pay.  
Dan got to his feet, throwing punches at his father. He was too aggressive, and didn't pay attention to anything but the power he put into each swing. His father took the upperhand and grabbed his arm, pulling it downward and twisting it in an unnatural way. Dan heard a crack and felt pain spread throughout his body like wildfire. He grit his teeth to keep from crying out and pulled away, walking backward to put distance between him and his father.  
"I can tell, Dan, that you are just like me," Donovan said.  
"I am nothing like you!" Dan shouted.  
"You hear them too, don't you? The voices."  
He did. He heard them all the time. They told him what to do.  
"They have been following me around ever since I was your age," Donovan explained. "They told me to do horrible, horrible things, and I was no longer in control of my own body. I can help you Dan, I can help you keep control of yourself. Let me live and together we will be unstoppable and in control!"  
"How do I know this isn't the voices talking?" Dan questioned.  
"Because of these," Donovan explained, throwing Dan a small bottle that made a rattling sound.  
"Pills?"  
"They are what keep me sane," he replied. "Let me live and we will get you a prescription. You and Phil can live happy lives and I can rule the League of Specially Trained Individuals. So what do you say?"  
'He's a liar.'  
Maybe not.  
'He needs to die.'  
He does.  
"Fuck you," Dan spat, pulling the knife from his pocket and charging at his father. Luckily, he had injured his right arm, and not his dominant, left one. In one quick motion Dan plunged the knife into his father's pudgy stomach. Donovan fell to ground, blood staining his shirt. "You will never hurt anyone ever again."


	29. Chapter 29

Dan had called out to the room to announce that his father was dead, and everyone then ceased fire. Anyone who was on Donovan Howell's side gave up and the resistance and rogue League members cheered in celebration. But the happiness didn't last long as the bodies began to be counted.  
Joe looked everywhere for Caspar, wanting to hug his boyfriend tight and celebrate their win. He decided to see if he was helping with the dead bodies, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw the last thing he had wanted to see. Caspar was lying on top of a body bag, his eyes open, but unseeing. Joe ran over to him, taking his hand to only find it cold and unmoving.  
Katie watched him, not wanting to bother him by going over. She was so immune to death, that none of the bodies around her bothered her. She noticed the grievers, though. She saw Marcus Butler with his head in his hands next to his girlfriend, Niomi. She saw Calum Hood and Michael Clifford mourning the loss of another member of their crew. She saw Jim Chapman and Tanya Burr still holding hands even in death. She saw Dan's mother next to his father, and she saw... no that couldn't be right. Katie walked toward the body that caught her attention, desperately clinging to the hope that he wasn't who she thought it was. But it was futile, because there was Sam Simmons, lying on the ground next to her girlfriend. Her big sister.  
"No..." Katie muttered, trying not to cry. She hadn't cried in years, she had to be strong in front of all these people. "Fuck!" she screamed, running out of the Hideout with one last glance at Sam's body.  
There was a truck outside, and Katie sat on the edge of its crate. She retrieved the bottle of liquor from her pocket and took a swig, wanting to wipe the memories of this day from her mind completely.  
"Can I have a sip?" a familiar voice asked her. She looked over and saw a red-eyed Joe giving her a small grin. Katie handed him the tiny bottle and he hopped up beside her, taking a sip and scrunching his face in disgust.  
"That's rank," Joe said, handing it back to her.  
"Yeah, but that's what makes it good for moments like these," she replied.  
"I saw her body," Joe sighed. "I'm sorry."  
"I'm sorry to you, too," Katie responded, taking another sip. Joe took the bottle from her again, drinking some again despite his prior remarks.  
\----  
Dan let the medic wrap up his arm and place it in a sling, despite not really wanting to draw much attention to the injury. "It's /broken/," the girl had said to him. "You can't just leave it unattended!"  
When he was done he saw Phil walking toward him. He grinned and sped up a bit, wanting so badly to get to him. When they reached each other they held each other in their arms. Phil's grasp was tight and firm. "You're okay," he sighed. "You're alive."  
"Of course I am."  
"You did it, huh?" Phil asked him.  
"Yeah, I guess I did," Dan shrugged.  
"You want to take that vacation now?" Phil joked.  
"It's over," Dan said. "It's all over."

'For now.'


	30. Chapter 30

The apartment felt eerily quiet. They were both unaffected by the door being unlocked, they did that a lot on accident. But what ticked Dan off was the misplaced shotgun, which he had left leaning against the wall in the hallway.   
"Someone has been here!" Dan shouted at Phil, as he paced back and forth in the living room.  
"I don't see anything different," Phil said, his voice much quieter than Dan's.  
'He's naïve, don't listen to him.'  
"The shotgun is misplaced, the knife under my pillow was moved, and something was taken down from the wall in the office!" Dan argued back.  
"Dan, just calm down-"  
"I am calm!" Dan exclaimed, realizing suddenly how loud he was. He sat next to Phil and put his head in his hands. Phil rubbed his back soothingly. "I'm sorry..."  
"Don't be," Phil interrupted. "It's been a crazy past few days. It's okay to be a bit stressed out."  
"Why don't we go get those rings?" Dan suggested, looking up at Phil. Their faces were so close that their noses were almost touching. Dan leaned in closer and pressed his lips to Phil's. They held it for as long as they could before breaking apart to breathe.  
"Before we go, there's something I want to say," Dan whispered. Phil's face scrunched up in worry. "If you want to quit the League, that's okay with me. I'm sorry if I came across angry at first about you being in the resistance, but I'm fine with it. Now that my dad's gone things can be different."  
"I have a proposal, too," Phil said. "I will stay in the League, if you promise to help me reform it, and make it better."  
"Okay, yeah," Dan nodded. "We can do that."  
\----  
After their visit to the home of Philip Lester, Eren did some more digging. The knife's handle had brought no more clues, since the only fingerprints Hanji could find were not in any police accessible database. He decided to look at the financial records for the apartment, finding that the bank that was paid the rent, and the person whom paid the rent.   
"Daniel Howell," Eren told Levi, explaining what he had found. Neither he nor Lester have driver's licenses, but they do have credit cards. I set up an alert to be sent to me the next time any of their cards are used."  
"Great," Levi nodded. "I think blood on a knife is enough to bring Lester in, but Howell is another story."  
"I say we put them both in interrogation rooms. We then take Howell's fingerprints and see if we can match them to anything," Eren suggested.  
"Okay, we'll get their location next time one of their cards is used and bring them in."  
\----  
The nearest jewelry store was only a few blocks away, so they walked there hand in hand. Until Phil had searched online they hadn't known this place existed, though. When they walked in they could tell how fancy the place was, and probably expensive. A man in a black button-up walked over to them, he was just as tall as the two of them and had dark purple eyeshadow and winged eyeliner adoring his face. Phil observed that his makeup was better than most of the female workers in the establishment.  
"Can I help you two with anything?" he asked them.  
"We're looking for rings, uh engagement ones," Dan answered.   
"Of course, follow me," he replied with a smile. "So who popped the question?" the salesman asked with a smile.  
"That was me," Dan said awkwardly.  
"No time to get a ring beforehand, huh?"  
"No, it was kind of spontaneous," Dan chuckled in reply.  
"That's sweet," the salesman cooed. "Here are the rings we have. The cheapest are to the left and the most expensive to the right."  
"Thank you," Phil said to him, turning with Dan to look at the display case.   
Shiny silver rings and gold ones were all laid out to see. Dan scanned them over, looking over at Phil's cute face.  
"I think we should go with something simple. Like that," Phil said, pointing to a silver men's ring that was plain except for a small intricate carving of a heart on the front.  
"I have an idea," Dan muttered, turning around to look for an employee. He caught the attention of a lady in a black dress who came over to them. "Is it possible to get personalized rings? Like have specific things carved into them?"  
"Yes, if you come with me the front we can take your measurements and make the bands accordingly and carve whatever you want into them," she explained.  
"What's your idea, Dan?" Phil asked.  
"I want to get a P carved into mine," Dan told him. "And I thought maybe you could get one with a D on it."  
"Aw, I love it," Phil smiled.  
"Okay, then follow me," the lady beamed.  
\----  
They left the store and began walking home. The rings would be finished in about a week and they would get a call when they were ready. They stopped at a corner to wait for the signal to change on the sign for pedestrians, when a car pulled up in front of them on the crosswalk. It was small, with only two rows, and there was a police light on the dashboard that wasn't on, but noticeable to Dan who always kept an eye out for cops. Two men got out of the car, one much shorter than the other. They were in finely pressed suits and the tallest one had his detective's badge hanging on a chain around his neck.   
"Daniel Howell and Philip Lester?" the shorter man said.   
"Tha-That's us," Phil stuttered.  
"We're going to have to ask you to come with us," the same guy explained.  
"Why?" Dan demanded. "What do you want?"  
"We just need to ask you some questions for a case," the taller one said.   
"O-okay," Phil nodded.   
"What are you doing?" Dan whispered, grabbing Phil's arm and stopping him from walking to the car.  
'We have to comply, Dan," Phil replied. "If we don't it'll look suspicious, like we have something to hide."  
"Shit, you're right," Dan sighed. "Okay, I guess we're going."


	31. Chapter 31

They were placed in separate rooms, much to Dan's dislike. They had taken his fingerprints as well, making him even more suspicious about what was going on here. They had no lawyer, and they had every reason to be sitting in interrogation rooms. They murdered people, but of course they couldn't say that. Dan found himself tapping his finger on the table. There was a security camera in the corner, and he wasn't naïve enough to trick into believing the mirror was just a mirror. It obviously was a one way window that only those on the other side could see into. There could be someone watching him right now.  
The door opened and in walked the shorter detective that had picked them up. He stood on the other side of the table, almost making Dan laugh. It was obvious he stood to make himself seem taller.  
"You're Daniel James Howell, correct?" the detective asked him.  
"Yes," Dan replied.  
'But you'd already know that, wouldn't you? I'm sure you've done plenty of digging.'  
"I'm Detective Levi Ackerman. I'm going to ask you some questions, if you don't mind," the detective said.  
"Go ahead."  
'Hit me with your best shot, shorty.'  
"Where were you the night of the eleventh? As in, two days ago?"  
"At home, with my boyfriend."  
'I actually proposed, but you know, unimportant details.'  
"Are you sure? Because we found a knife near a dead body with your boyfriend's blood on it."  
"I don't know how that's possible," Dan replied, keeping a passive face.   
'That was my bastard father's doing. He didn't even have the decency to clean up his own mess? Fucking me from beyond the grave, I see.'  
"We also ran your fingerprints against ones we found on the same knife, and they were a match. Care to explain?"  
"I don't know how that's possible," Dan repeated.  
"How did you hurt your arm?" Detective Ackerman asked, looking at the cast on Dan's arm.  
"Fell down the stairs, I'm very clumsy."  
"How come there are no records of you checking into a hospital?"  
"Because I didn't go to one. I hate hospitals. I had a friend who went to medical school check it out for me."  
"And this friend happened to have a cast lying around?"  
"She buys lots of medical supplies for her private business."  
"You seem to have answers to everything," the detective said to him.  
"Is that a problem? I thought you wanted answers."  
'Piss him off. Show him who's boss.'  
\----  
Phil was nervously tapping his foot on the tiled floor. He looked up from his lap when he heard the door swinging open.  
"Philip Lester?" the tall detective said. Phil nodded. "I'm Detective Eren Jaeger. I'm just going to ask you some questions relating to a case my partner and I are currently working on."  
"Yeah, of course," Phil said.  
"Where were you two nights ago? On the eleventh?"  
"With my boyfriend, at home."  
"We found a knife with your blood on it. Ring any bells?"  
"A knife? I don't know why you'd find my blood on a knife."  
"We also found your boyfriend's fingerprints on the same knife."  
"What? That's insane!"  
"So you have no idea what I am talking about?"   
"No! I have no idea why you found my blood there."  
"Do you know any criminal organizations?" Detective Jaeger suddenly asked.  
"Criminal organizations?"  
"Yes; maybe one came after you, or maybe you are involved in one?"  
"Of course not! I didn't really think those were real! A-are they?" Phil was proud of himself. He seemed to be playing a convincing part. He just hoped Dan gave similar answers.  
"Not everyone thinks so, but personally I think they are real," the detective answered. "I think that's all I need. However, I can't let you go until we find the connection between you and that knife."  
"I understand," Phil nodded.  
"Can I get you anything, coffee or a snack?"  
"No, thank you, though."  
With that, the detective left, leaving Phil alone again in the quiet room, the only sound that of his tapping foot.


	32. Chapter 32

Dan was growing impatient, and annoyed. The voice in his head wouldn't stop. He thought about trying to get a hold of the pills his dad took to repress the voices. Dan wanted so badly to live a happy life with Phil, and he didn't want these crazy voices stopping that.  
'Crazy? Who you calling crazy?'  
Go away.  
'You're the one who hears voices.'  
Go /away/.  
'But I just got here! Where's the fun in leaving as soon as the party starts? A quiet room like this is the perfect place for me.'  
Leave me alone!  
'Sorry, no can do. I'm here to stay.'  
Well, fuck.  
\----  
/Anne was still awake, sitting in her bed waiting for her husband to come home. She was so angry with him, so done dealing with his choices. Dan was nine years old, and he was befriending criminals. Donovan would have house parties with murderers, and Anne would sit idly by, pretending to be the happy housewife. When he got home, she was going to give him a piece of her mind, no matter how late at night.  
She could hear him coming up the stairs and so stood up, holding her robe tight around her since it was a bit cold in their bedroom. He came into the room and stopped in his tracks when he saw her.  
"Everything okay?" he asked her.  
"We need to talk," she said.  
"Can't it wait until the morning? I'm exhausted," Donovan groaned, placing his briefcase down by the closet.   
"No, I... I need to say this before I lose the opportunity."  
"Okay, go ahead."  
"You need to quit the League," Anne blurted out.  
"Quit the League? Nice joke, Anne," Donovan laughed.  
"Donny, this job is having major effects on our family. I don't want the boys growing up around this!"  
"They already are, Anne!" Donovan argued. "Get used to it!" He walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Anne heard a crash and opened the door, finding Donovan clutching his head on the floor. Bottles of pills and medicine were scattered on the floor where they had fallen from the cabinet.   
"They won't stop!" Donovan cried. "The voices won't go away!"  
"Donny? What are you talking about? Donny!" Anne tried to calm him down, she tried to pull his hands off his head but he was too strong.   
"Mommy, what's going on?" a small voice said behind them. Anne turned and saw Dan in the doorway, his curious eyes glancing back and forth between his mother and father.  
"Nothing, Danny, come on let's get you back to bed," Anne said to him sweetly, getting up and leading Dan back across the hall to his bedroom.  
"Is Daddy alright?" the little boy asked as Anne pulled the blanket over him.  
"Of course, it was just a small accident, nothing to worry about," she lied, kissing her son on the forehead before going back to her bedroom. Donovan was sitting on the bed, head in his hands.  
"Explain," Anne demanded./  
\----  
The door opened and Dan watched a lady in a pencil skirt and blazer walk into the room, her heels click-clacking on the tiled floor. Dan opened his mouth to talk but saw she was holding a notepad in one hand with a message scribbled on it. It said "don't talk," and so he waited, watching her with curiosity. She looked like your stereotypical lawyer, with ruby red lipstick and a haircut that stopped at her jawline. All she was missing was a bluetooth that she was constantly talking into.  
"Okay, we're good," she said, glancing at the security camera which no longer had a blinking red light.  
"Who are you?" Dan asked.  
"Your lawyer, or rather, Katie's," the woman replied.  
"Katie? What is she up to?"  
"All the weapons from your apartment have been removed, and so were those vulgar notes in the office about your father."  
"Why are you here?"  
"We're getting you and Phil out, but on legal terms. Anything illegal would arouse suspicion, but I'm sure you figured that much out already," she explained. "We have an inside man messing with the security feed so we can talk in private."  
"You work for Katie?"  
"Her family, yes, but she's really the only Simmons I like." Dan chuckled and leaned back in his chair.  
/Good ol' Katie,/ he thought.  
'Yes, an ally. She will be useful.'  
\----  
When they were let go Katie was waiting for them outside. She was leaning casually against the hood of a car, her arms crossed over her chest. She smiled at them and embraced Phil who opened his arms to her.   
"Thanks for that," Dan said to her.  
"Being in an assassin family has its perks," she responded. "So, you guys hungry?"  
They drove a few blocks away to a small restaurant where Katie seemed to know every employee. The chef even came out to greet her. 'Yes, a valuable friend indeed.'  
"Why are we really here?" Dan asked her after they ordered their food.  
"We needed somewhere safe to talk," Katie confessed. "We got all the weapons from your house and moved them to the Hideout. I have a feeling they already knew about them, but just in case it's good to not have them there. And before you yell at me, Dan, I left your knife under your pillow."  
"Are we in the clear?" Phil asked her.  
"Probably not entirely, but for now, yes," she replied. "If the cops are investigating you two this could open up a whole can of worms to the rest of the League members. It's probably best you guys lay low for a while."  
"We have to still come to the Hideout, though," Dan said. "There's a lot going on right now."  
"It's not the best idea, but if you want to risk it, go ahead. I wouldn't be surprised if they had someone follow you."  
"I have another question for you," Phil told her. "How are you doing?"  
Katie sighed. "I'm alright, but you know me. Facades are my specialty."   
"How did your parents take the news?" Dan asked.  
"They didn't care, were almost happy about it. I expected that, though. It was bad with my sister. She hasn't even seen Sam for so long and now she never will."  
"Just don't do anything stupid, okay?" Phil said. "We don't want another incident."  
"I'm not going to get shitfaced like I did back then, I promise. I'm an adult now, I know how to grieve and drink responsibly."


	33. Chapter 33

Dan and Phil left their apartment an hour before they had to be at the Hideout. It gave them time to meander around the city, which Dan wasn't sure was the best idea with the cops on their trail. When they got there, some people gave them strange looks. Everyone that was still in the League was there, even the trainees Dan had started training weeks ago. By the level system the League had, there were eight people who could take the position of Leader. The level system gave a number to members. Everyone started at 1, and after certain number goals were reached they would level up to a 2 and so on. Dan Howell, Phil Lester, Katie Simmons, Joe Sugg, Tyler Oakley, Alfie Deyes, Zoe Sugg, and Marcus Butler were the only remaining 11s. Dan's father had been a 15, but he had never been voted Leader by his fellow 15s. It didn't matter anymore, though, because anyone above 11 in London had been killed.   
The 11s stood around the table in the Leader's office. They all looked worn out, and tired. They had all lost friends and family on that day.   
"Let's get started," Katie said, taking the wheel of the operation. "We need to appoint a Leader, and we are the only candidates. I say we chose two people we think are qualified for the position and then take a vote. However, in order to avoid a tie I have brought in the highest 10 in the League to make our numbers uneven."  
A girl who had been standing in the corner of the room came forward. Katie held out her hand as if presenting her to the group. "This is Emma Blackery, a 10, but almost an 11."  
Everyone nodded and Tyler began to speak. "I know who I want to nominate," he said. When no one said anything he continued. "I think Dan should be the Leader."  
"Yeah, but his dad is the reason we have to pick a new Leader!" Marcus argued.  
"I agree," Katie offered. "Out of all of us I think he's the most skilled one here. I'm pretty sure he's close to a 12."  
'Imagine what we could do with control over this place.'  
"I don't think I'd make a good Leader," Dan told them.  
'Don't lie. Think about the power and what we could do.'  
"Are you kidding me?" Joe laughed. "You have led me on two recent missions, and I say you're more than qualified."  
"So Dan is our first nominee, how about a second?" Katie led.  
"You," Phil said. Katie looked surprised.   
"Me? I don't know..."  
"You are a great leader as well," Phil explained. "Plus, you are just as skilled as Dan."  
"Probably even better," Dan added.  
"Alright, fine, we have our nominees. Me or Dan. All those in favor of me running the Hideout raise your hand."  
Four hands were raised, Dan's, the Suggs', and Marcus's. 'We've already won, Daniel.'  
"All those in favor of Dan running the place, raise your hand."  
Five hands went up. Phil's, Tyler's, Alfie's, Emma's, and Katie's.   
"Then it's been decided," Katie said, with a grin on her face despite having lost a position of high power. "Dan Howell is our new Leader."  
The group began to walk to the balcony, but Dan was protesting. He couldn't have it, he couldn't be it, not with the voices in his head.  
"Katie!" Dan called. "Wait!"  
She turned before leaving the office, facing him and arching her eyebrows in curiosity.  
"You have to take it," Dan pleaded. "I can't have it."  
"Dan, don't worry, you'll do great," Katie encouraged.  
"No! It's not that I just..." he trailed off. What could he say? "Please keep me in check. If I do anything wrong or if I fuck up..."  
"You won't," Katie said in a serious voice.  
"I might," Dan replied. "Please, I... I can't explain it to you, but I..."  
"Okay," Katie sighed, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I promise I'll watch you."  
"Thank you," Dan said with a sigh of relief.  
'This will be fun!'  
The two went to the balcony and looked down below at the people gathered to hear the news. Dan swallowed the lump in his throat and jumped when he felt someone touch him. He saw it was Phil and relaxed, their fingers intertwining at their sides.  
"Why did you vote for me?" Dan whispered. "You put Katie as a nominee, you should have voted for her."  
"Because I know you can do it," Phil responded. "Besides, you made me a promise, remember? We're going to change the League."  
'What changes need to be made? It's perfect the way it is.'  
"Attention!" Katie shouted, loud enough to not need the bullhorn beside her. "Your new Leader has been voted upon to be... Daniel James Howell."  
The crowd exploded with gasps and muffled voices. Some didn't look pleased, and stared up at him in scorn.  
'Oh ho! This will be a lot of fun!'


	34. Chapter 34

Phil walked into the bar, his heart sinking a bit as he reminisced on the memories from there. He had only just met Sam, but it sucked not seeing her behind the bar. Someone came out from the storage room with two boxes stacked in their hands. The person peaked from around them and gave Phil a small grin. "Hey, Phil," he greeted.  
"Hey, Calum," Phil replied. "What's going on?"  
"The resistance is disbanding," Calum explained. "We lost too many people, and have no one to lead us. Besides, there's nothing more we can do to stop the League."  
Phil nodded, because he knew he was right. The resistance had interrupted League ordeals for years, but they no longer had the manpower to do it. Plus, with Dan leading the League members of London, there was a little hope that it could be better. His mother had led the resistance... but his father had killed so many people. Phil understood how conflicted some people felt over the new leadership. Maybe he should have voted for Katie...  
"Hey, Phil," Calum said. "If you ever need anything, give Michael and I are always around. Here, let me give you my number."  
Calum set the boxes on the floor and took out his phone. Phil took out his and they placed each other's numbers in their contacts.   
After leaving the bar Phil headed to the jewelry store. It had taken him a week to work up the guts to go back the resistance headquarters, and he took the opportunity to visit when he had to pick up the rings. Dan had been waking up earlier to go to the Hideout before anyone else. Phil was happy he was taking the job seriously, but he still worried about him. Something seemed off about him lately, though that could be attributed to both of his parents dying.   
The same woman who had helped them greeted Phil at the register. He left with a huge grin on his face and went to the Hideout, rushing up the stairs and into the office. Dan was sitting at the desk, Katie next to him leaning against it. "Hey Katie," Phil greeted, still smiling.   
"Hey, Phil," Katie responded. She glanced back and forth between the two of them before leaving the room. "I'll give you guys some privacy," she said as she left.  
"Got them?" Dan asked. Phil nodded and placed the bag on the desk. Dan grabbed it and Phil's hand and led him to the sofa. He slowly opened up the box they were inside and looked at them in awe. Dan took out Phil's and placed it on his hand, smiling like he hadn't in so long. Phil did the same, rubbing his finger over the engraving with his initial on it.   
"We haven't really talked about how we're going to get married, huh?" Phil said as he stared at their hands.   
"Yeah, I guess there are some important things we haven't even thought about," Dan agreed.  
"We shouldn't do a traditional wedding," Phil said, now placing his head on Dan's shoulder.   
"How about a small party to celebrate with our close friends, and then we go to court to make it legal the next day?" Dan suggested.  
"Sounds great," Phil nodded.  
\----  
Katie closed the door shut behind her, making sure they would get the room to themselves. She then took out her cell phone and headed to the nearest empty room. The conversation she had with Dan was stuck on her mind.   
/"Tell me," Katie demanded. "Why are you so afraid of leading?"  
"My dad, he had some sort of condition where he heard voices that made him do terrible things," Dan explained. "I have those voices too."  
"Voices? Like in a schizophrenic way?" Katie questioned.  
"Probably, I don't know what his diagnosis was or how he was treated, all I know is he took pills to suppress them."  
"Is that why he wanted to take over the League?"  
"No, I don't think so," Dan replied. "What he said to me made it seem like he was in full control of himself."  
"So you're worried you won't be able to stay in control of yourself?"  
"Yes," Dan confessed with a sigh.  
"Does Phil know?"   
"No, I... haven't gotten around to telling him."  
"He deserves to know," Katie scolded, crossing her arms across her chest.  
"I know, eventually... but for now, please just keep an eye on me."  
"Yeah, I can do that," Katie nodded./  
The phone rang a few times before the person she was calling picked up. "Lenny? Hey it's Katie, I was wondering if you could do me a favor," she said.  
"What can I do for ya, kid?" the guy on the other end of the call asked.  
"Can you find medical records for Donovan Howell? Specifically ones relating to mental health."  
"Of course, I'll call you when I find somethin'."  
"Thanks you're the best."  
\----  
Eren and Levi walked out of the elevator and looked around in confusion. The usual calm office was now teeming with people and business. A man passed them with a jacket that had "FBI" printed on the back of it. The two went to the captain's office, finding another tall man in a suit there with Captain Smith.   
"Mr. Norwood these are Detectives Jaeger and Ackerman. They've been on the case of the criminal organization. Boys, this is Quinton Norwood, head of the USA's FBI," the captain introduced.  
"Why is the FBI in London?" Levi asked.  
"We heard about your investigation into a certain criminal organization and found it very similar to that of an organization we took down in our country," the FBI head explained.  
"Criminal organization?" Eren repeated.  
"They are called the League of Specially Trained Individuals. They never get caught and they never leave a trace, that is until last year when every base of operations under their control on American soil was eliminated and the perpetrators arrested. We thought they were only in the states, but we now see that it is a worldwide thing."  
"We're handing the investigation over to them," the captain said.   
"But they can't just take it like that!" Eren argued. "I've been trying to catch these people since I was a beat cop giving out parking tickets!"  
"Eren," Levi warned quietly. "Not here."  
Eren looked at his partner and walked out of the office, leaving Levi standing there. "We'll give you everything we've found, just let me talk to him," Levi said to them before chasing after Eren. He followed him to the bathroom where there was a loud crash. Eren had hit on of the stall doors and was now leaning over the sink and staring at his reflection in the mirror.  
"Eren..." Levi started.  
"I can't fucking believe it!" Eren shouted. "All these years for nothing! I've wasted my life trying to catch the people who killed my parents just to have it ripped from me!"  
"It is not a waste!" Levi argued. "They are going to get caught no matter who is going after them! This isn't our fight anymore!"  
"It will always be my fight!" Eren objected. "They killed my mother and father in cold blood! I can't just forgive that!"  
Eren stormed out and Levi called after him, but he knew it was no use. The door swung open and in walked a blonde boy just around Levi's height.   
"Is he alright?" the boy asked.  
"You know him better than I do, Armin," Levi sighed. "I don't know what to do."  
"Give him time," Armin advised. "I'm sure he'll eventually see."


	35. Chapter 35

Dan looked up when he heard the door to the office opening. Phil walked in with a grin on his face and came over to Dan, who pulled his boyfriend onto his lap and pressed their lips together. Seeing Phil was the favorite part of his. With the new early hours he worked it wasn't often that he was home. When they intertwined their dominant hands their rings pressed together, and Dan loved seeing them. They were a reminder that he still had something happy to hold on to. Plus, when Phil was around, the voices seemed to stop.  
"I thought maybe we could talk about what we can do to make changes around here?" Phil said cautiously. Dan nodded and stood up, pushing Phil with him. He fell down on the couch with Dan on top of him. Their lips collided again and Phil's hands found their way into Dan's hair.   
"I'm sorry," Dan laughed, leaning back and sitting at Phil's feet. "You wanted to talk."  
Phil sat up and fixed his hair, nodding in reply. "I had some ideas of changes to make," he told him.  
"Shoot," Dan responded.  
"First, I think there should be a policy about killing. You shouldn't be allowed to kill anyone unless absolutely necessary. This would mean that assassination missions would no longer happen."  
"That'll be hard, since a lot of money comes out of assassinations, but I'll see what we can do. Go on."  
"Our artillery should be smaller. People should also not be able to stroll in here and take weapons whenever they want."  
"That can definitely be done, yeah," Dan nodded, making a mental list of what he said.  
"Another thing is also that the age at which you can join should be restricted, that way people join of their own free will."  
Dan always felt guilty for where Phil was in life. He could be off making films like he had dreamed when they were teens, but instead Donovan had to pull him into the League just like he had to Dan. He was eleven when he first shot a gun. He was thirteen when he went on his first mission. He was just a kid when he was diagnosed with PTSD because of guns.   
"Are you okay?" Phil asked, making Dan look up into his blue eyes. He realized he had been staring at the ground.  
"Yeah, of course," Dan dismissed.   
"I know you're lying," Phil said, taking Dan's hand in his. "Tell me."  
"I just... I feel guilty, because I've caused you so much pain," Dan confessed, nervous because he had never spoken of this out loud before. "You've been through such shit associated with the League and it's my fault."  
"Pain? You haven't caused any, Dan," Phil replied. "I've had the best moments of my life with you. My first kiss, my first time, when you proposed... you've made me the happiest man alive more than once."  
"But our second kiss was in the infirmary because I was grazed by two bullets. Our first time was in the shower after we finished practicing to kill people. You got stabbed after I proposed!"  
"So what?" Phil answered. "They're just incidents in this crazy thing called life. I know that I will always be happy as long as I have you."  
"I love you," Dan whispered, leaning his forehead against Phil's.   
"I love you, too."  
\----  
Katie walked into Joe's apartment, which was quiet for a change. It was usually loud with laughter or chatter, but it must have been this quiet since Caspar died.   
"Hey, Kate," Joe greeted from the counter. Katie went over and sat beside him, taking off her coat and placing it on the next stool. "Pizza is on the way, you want a drink?"  
"Something strong," Katie replied. Joe laughed and nodded, walking around the counter into the kitchen. He placed two glasses in front of her and took out a bottle from the cabinet.  
"I don't know what this is, but it's alcohol," Joe said as he poured. Katie smiled and took a glass, taking a sip and then looking at Joe. They nodded to each other in understanding.   
"That's good," Katie sighed, taking another sip. Joe leaned against the counter casually. He looked even shorter when hunched over, but at least he was taller than Katie.  
"So, how has everything been?" Joe asked her.  
"Good, I'm just kind of tired of people asking me that, you know?"  
"Yeah, me too," Joe nodded.  
"You spend years passing people by and no one gives a fuck about you. Then suddenly someone you love dies and everyone cares about you, that is until it dies down and everything is back to normal."  
"Except it isn't," Joe continued, practically reading her mind. "Because someone you love is gone, and is never coming back."  
"Never fucking coming back," Katie repeated, taking another drink.   
The pizza came and they sat on the couch while watching some cheesy horror movie that made Katie jump too many times. She hadn't wanted to watch a scary movie but Joe insisted. The alcohol in her system kept her from getting too afraid, though. And so did he. Their shoulders were touching and every now and then when reaching into the popcorn bowl their hands would brush against each other.   
It was the end of the movie when suddenly Katie's phone started vibrating on the couch beside her. She picked it up, not bothering to check the caller ID, and answered the call. "Hello?"   
"Katie," a familiar, and breathy voice replied.  
"Phil? Are you okay?" Katie asked.  
"We need you," Phil said. "Someone tried to kill..."  
"I'll be right over," she told him, hanging up and then standing to get her shoes and coat on.  
"Is everything okay?" Joe asked.  
"Something happened to Dan and Phil, I have to go help them out," Katie answered.  
"I'll come too," Joe said.  
"You don't have to," Katie replied.  
"But I'm going to," Joe sassed. "Besides, you're drunk as fuck, and I'm drunk as fuck, so together we're practically sober."  
"That logic is bullshit," Katie responded. "But okay."  
\----  
In his dreams his dad was there. He stabbed Phil repeatedly, and Dan could do was stand there while his blue eyes became lifeless and the pool of blood on the floor grew larger. He felt hands gripping his throat. He was choking. He couldn't breathe... but that wasn't a part of the dream. Dan opened his eyes and saw an unfamiliar face above him, choking him with his own hands. He couldn't breathe, so Dan reached under his pillow for his knife and stabbed into the guy's side. He cried out in pain and fell off the bed.  
Phil shot up next to him, asking Dan what was happening. He pinned the guy to the floor with his knees and punched him in the face repeatedly.   
'Yes, that's it. Show him who's boss!'  
Dan stopped when the voice started nagging, he panted heavily and fell back off his assailant. He sat on the floor, leaning his head against the bed. Phil ran to his side and tried to get him to talk, but Dan didn't want to. He could feel them trying to take over. The voices wanted him...  
'You're better off without free will. You'll never fuck up when we're in control.'  
'Phil doesn't love you, so why would he care?'  
'You're just a sad excuse for a person. It'd be better if you died anyway.'  
After swimming in his mind for a while he heard the bedroom door opening and voices in the hallway. Katie was at his side soon, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
"Dan? Are you okay?" she questioned.  
"They... they're getting stronger," Dan stuttered.  
"What does he mean?" Phil asked from the doorway.   
"He didn't want to tell you yet, but I think it's time you know," Katie said, standing up and facing Phil. Dan stood now, too, staring at the floor with tears forming in his eyes.  
"Know what?" Phil asked.  
"I... my mind it's..." Dan tried.  
"Dan's father heard voices in his head, like a schizophrenic type of thing," Katie explained, taking the lead for Dan. "Dan has been hearing them too, and they want to take over him."  
"If they do... I won't be myself," Dan added.  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Phil asked.  
"I didn't want you to worry!" Dan replied, tears streaming down his face. He had hurt Phil. He caused pain to his Phil. "I wanted to find a way to stop them so you wouldn't have to be afraid of me!"  
"Dan," Phil sighed, walking to him and pulling him into a hug. He let Dan cry on his shoulder and rubbed his back soothingly. "We're going to deal with this, together," Phil whispered. "You'll be okay, I'll make sure of it."  
"I actually found the doctor who helped your dad," Katie said. Dan looked up at her through teary eyes.   
"You didn't have to do that..." he started.  
"No, but you're my friend, so I did have to," Katie replied.   
"Thank you."


	36. Chapter 36

Phil sat impatiently in the waiting room, tapping his foot on the carpeted floor. Dan was in with the doctor who had helped his father. Phil really wanted it to go well, for Dan's sake and their relationship's. He didn't want this get in the way of them and their future. He knew that was a selfish and rude thing to want, but he did. The door opened and Dan came walking out with the doctor, smiling a bit. Phil loved to see him smile, since it was such a rare thing.   
"You must be Phil?" the doctor greeted as he shook Phil's hand.   
"Yes, that would be me," Phil smiled.   
"I'm Doctor King, but you already knew that," the doctor laughed. "As I explained to Dan there is nothing wrong with his health. It's very common for people even without mental illness to hear voices in their head. We'll put him on the same medication his father was on and see how it works. If things go bad with the medication we'll find something knew to help him out."  
"Thank you so much, Doctor," Phil beamed.   
On the walk home Dan was quiet, but content. He felt for once that maybe he really could have a happy life.   
"What did you tell them about your dad?" Phil asked.  
"Half the truth," Dan replied. "I said he died, but in another city where a lot of our family lives." Phil nodded. "Do you think I'll ever have to stop lying so much?" Dan asked.  
"Hopefully," Phil answered, smiling at his boyfriend.  
\----  
There was a knock at the door and Katie went to answer it. She was still living in a hotel room with Alexander, much to her disgust. She wanted to maybe find an apartment here in London, and stick around with her friends, but this time without Alexander. She stood to go answer it and found Joe on the other side of the door. "Joe? What are you doing here?" Katie asked him, leaning against the doorway.  
"Are you doing anything?" Joe asked her.  
"No, why?"   
"You want to go catch a movie, or something? I don't feel like sitting at home feeling sorry for myself," Joe replied.   
"Yeah, sure. Let me get my coat and shoes. You can come in and wait."  
Joe entered and stayed standing by the door. Katie took her coat off the chair she had left it on and her shoes from the corner of the room. She sat on the bed tying her dirty converse up when Alexander came out from the bathroom.  
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked her.  
"Going out," Katie replied shortly.  
"No you're not," Alexander said. "Especially not with him. I'm your boyfriend, remember?"  
"Not anymore, you're not," Katie answered, standing up and facing the tall guy. "I'm breaking up with you."  
"You can't do that!" Alexander called as she began to walk out. "Our families put us together! We can't break up without permission!"  
"Well, I am," Katie told him. Alexander groaned and grabbed her wrist. Joe quickly reacted and shoved him back. He was much shorter than Alexander, but Katie knew he was stronger than he looked.  
"Back off, shorty," Alexander threatened.  
"No," Joe replied, standing in between Katie and him. "Don't you dare touch her ever again, you got that asshole?" Katie's heart swelled.  
"I'm telling your parents," Alexander shouted.  
"Great, send them a message for me," Katie answered, holding up two middle fingers at him. She could hear him protesting as she closed the door to the hotel room. She and Joe walked to the elevator in silence. As they waited Katie decided to speak.  
"Thank you," she said to him. "You didn't have to do that, so I owe you one."  
"Don't worry about it," Joe shrugged. "I'd do anything for someone I care about."  
/Someone I care about./


	37. Chapter 37

Dan couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned for hours, but every time he closed his eyes the voices came back. He was only supposed to take the medication once a day, but one pill didn't last him into the early hours that he often randomly awoke in. The pills were bliss to Dan. He had spent the past few days with only his voice telling him what to say and do. The only downside was he hadn't been able to sleep a wink. He used caffeine and thirty-minute naps to keep himself awake during the day and then suffered through it at night. When daylight broke he would get up and take another pill.  
Doctor King had warned him about overusing the drug and getting addicted. Dan didn't want become hooked on the pills, but they kept him sane. Every moment he spent with the voices swirling in his head made him feel more out of his mind. Dan got up quietly, trying not to wake Phil. He crept into the kitchen and filled a glass with water and stared at the pill bottle sitting by the sink. It would be so easy to swallow one right now, and keep them away while he slept.  
'You don't want to do that. Let me stick around. I hate being quiet all day.'  
Well get used to it.  
'Don't be mean. I'm a part of you, you can't get rid of me forever.'  
But I can try.  
'You mean try and fail? One day you're going to run out of medication and then what will you do?'  
That won't happen. I'll make sure of it.  
'Trust me. It happened to your father plenty of times, and it'll happen to you too.'  
Dan sighed and reached for the bottle, twisting the cap off and shaking a pill into his hand. He quickly put it in his mouth and swallowed it, followed by a sip of water to help it down. The effect was instantaneous, and he closed his eyes, taking in the wonderful silence. It was so quiet, he heard the bullet before it hit the window, and he ducked as glass rained down on him. Dan quickly moved behind the cover of the counter in case more shots were fired, but none came. "Dan!" a shout came from the hallway. Phil's head peeked from the doorway cautiously. "Are you alright?"  
"I'm fine!" Dan responded. "Might have some scratches, but I'm alive."  
"I called Katie, she said she'd be here soon with back up," Phil told him. "I can't believe you're still trying to be killed."  
"It's not hard for me to believe," Dan said.  
"What do you mean?"  
"My father killed so many people and betrayed the entire League," Dan explained. "No one in their right mind would trust that man's son."  
"You're right," Phil agreed. "But don't forget that not everyone hates you."  
"How could I?" Dan laughed with a smile. Phil liked seeing him optimistic. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he took it out to answer the call.  
"I've got the perp," Katie said on the other side.   
"Thanks so much," Phil sighed in relief.   
"I'll lock him up at the Hideout to be dealt with tomorrow," she told him before hanging up.  
"We're all good," Phil told Dan. They both stood and looked at the broken window. "How do you think we're going to explain this one?" Phil asked Dan.  
"I'll think of something eventually," Dan shrugged.  
\----  
Katie found Joe leaning against the wall of the Hideout when she exited the place. He was blowing out into the cold air, making it look like smoke from a cigarette.   
"What are you doing here?" she asked him.   
"Thought you could use some company," he said. "Plus, I wanted to ask you something."  
"You could've just called me," Katie scolded with a smirk, crossing her arms across her chest.   
"Where's the fun in that?" Joe chuckled.   
"So, what do you want to ask me?"   
"Do you need a place to stay? After the other night with Alexander prick I figured you'd need to find somewhere else to live instead of a hotel room," Joe answered.  
"I was going to go looking at apartments tomorrow," Katie told him. "I'm moving here, to London. Why do you ask?"  
"Do you want to stay at my place until you find your own?" he asked. "I have an extra room, and it has a bed."  
"Thanks, but I can just stay in the hotel until..."  
"Come on," Joe interrupted. "I'm positive you don't want to still breathe the same air as him."  
"Okay, fine," Katie said.  
"Great! Shall we go get your things?"   
"It's 2 A.M.!" Katie objected.  
"So? I'm wide awake and actually really craving some ice cream."  
Katie laughed. "Alright, fine."  
They walked first to the hotel. Luckily Alexander was asleep and they quietly gathered her belongings and left. They got a taxi back to Joe's place and put her bags away before walking down the street to a store that was open 24/7 to buy ice cream. They each got a carton and headed back home, changing into pajamas before sitting on the couch to eat their 2 A.M. snack.   
"So your entire childhood was just learning to be an assassin?" Joe asked Katie in the midst of their conversation. They both were about half way done with their ice cream.  
"Yeah," Katie nodded. "Playing was sparring with my siblings or throwing knives at a dummy."  
"I'd hate to be in a League family," Joe said. "Zoe and I chose to be League members when we were teens. Zoe joined before me, though, and when I saw what she was doing with her life I wanted to join in and do it too."  
"So you like it? The killing and the violence?"  
"Well, yeah, for the most part. Do you?"  
"I did," Katie confessed. "I'm not sure if it's what I want anymore, though. Simultaneously I think this could just be an early midlife crisis where I question who I am and the inevitably of death."  
"Don't get me started on death," Joe said. "It's 3 A.M., you'll have me talking for hours."  
Katie laughed and looked at Joe. His hair was a mess and covering some parts of his face. His cheeks were flushed and he had on a small grin. She could remember him from when they were young. Just trainees in a League teaching them to kill. The first time she had seen him he had been sixteen, but although she was the same age as him she could never seem to work up the guts to talk to him. Instead she talked to Dan and Phil, who stayed in the corner by themselves because they barely needed the training, and truthfully neither did Katie.  
She didn't even notice him staring back at her. He liked looking at her round face, which was complimented greatly by her smile. Since her hair was pulled back Joe could see all her features. They caught each other's' gaze and looked into each other's eyes. Before she knew what was happening Katie found herself leaning forward, and Joe doing the same.   
Their lips touched and she felt her heart pounding and an explosion of some sort in her brain. He had soft lips, and they were cold from the ice cream. His hand on her cheek was cold too. They pulled apart and she didn't know what to do. His face fell and he cleared his throat, sitting up straight. Katie looked away, swallowing the lump that had gathered in her throat.   
"Uh, goodnight," Joe said, getting up and placing the ice cream in the freezer before heading down stairs to his bedroom.   
"'Night," Katie sighed, leaning back into the pillows on the sofa.


	38. Chapter 38

Eren reluctantly kept going to work. He and Levi were placed on other cases while the FBI used their resources to try and find the location of the LSTI's headquarters. He was still pissed, but he had blown off his steam at the gym and at home a bit (if you know what I mean *wink*). Eren sat at his desk, playing with some paper clips to get rid of his boredom. He noticed the FBI agent who was in charge come into the office out of the corner of his eye. The tall man stood right in front of the elevator and clear his throat, shouting out to the whole room.  
"Can I have your attention, please?" he commanded, standing firmly in place. "I do not mean to cause any alarm amongst you, but we have reason to believe there are traitors among you who are working for the criminal organization we are trying to stop."  
There were gasps and murmurs from around the room. Eren looked up to see who had moved to stand beside him and saw Mikasa there. Her arms were crossed and she had a look of disdain on her face.  
"We will do our best to find them, but please expect random interrogations," the man continued. "That is all."  
The office erupted in chatter and Eren turned around in his chair to face Mikasa. She was practically a sister to him. When her parents were killed when she was young she was taken in by Eren's family. His father had been a doctor and had cared for her and her family before. Mikasa never legally became a Jaeger, and so was only a sister to Eren by their bond. She was constantly overprotective of him, especially when Levi was around.  
"What's up?" Eren asked her, leaning back in his chair nonchalantly.   
"Just came to say hi," Mikasa answered. "And see how you're doing. I know having the drop the case must have been hard..."  
"You're a bit late for condolences on the subject," Eren interrupted.  
"If I had said anything it would have made you angrier," Mikasa sighed. "You know how I feel about the whole ordeal. You have completely dropped it, right?"  
"Yeah, much to my disliking," Eren groaned.  
"You're better off," Mikasa said. "You could have gone insane looking for them."  
"Yeah, well. now I won't, happy?" Eren questioned, getting up from his chair and walking to the elevator.   
"Eren, wait..." Mikasa called after him, but he ignored her as the doors closed in front of him.  
\----  
When Katie woke up she was confused, because she didn't recognize where she was. Then she remembered the night before, and raised a hand to touch her lips. She and Joe... had kissed. She got out of bed and went upstairs, finding Joe at the kitchen counter eating a bowl of cereal. She took a bowl from the cabinet and poured some for herself. The refrigerator was almost empty except for a jug of milk, some beer, and some styrofoam leftover containers.   
"You should probably get some more food," Katie suggested to Joe as she poured the milk into her cereal. It wasn't even a good kind, but it was all he had.  
"Yeah, probably," Joe replied with a mouthful of cereal. "I usually get takeaway."  
"Of course you do," Katie mumbled with an eye roll.  
"Hey, um, can I talk to you about something?" Joe asked.  
"Of course, what is it?"  
"Uh, what happened last night, erm, can we just forget about it for a little while? I... I'm not really sure I'm ready for another relationship yet... it's only been a few weeks since he died..."  
"Of course, I understand," Katie answered, even though secretly her heart was sinking in disappointment. "You just lost Caspar, and I know you loved him. Take all the time you need, man."  
"Thank you, you're such a great friend."  
/Yeah,/ Katie thought. /Friend./  
\----  
There was a knock on the office door and Dan called for whoever it was to come in. A short blonde girl came in who Dan didn't recognize.   
"Who are you?" he asked.  
"I'm Annie Leonhart," she answered. "Since the last Leader was killed there was no time for you to be informed on this matter, but I'm an undercover League agent working with the police."  
"We have people in the police?"  
"Yep," she replied, nodding as she did.  
"Wow, um. so what do you have to report?"  
"I'm afraid nothing good," Annie said. "The FBI is in London and are looking for us."  
"The FBI? As in the American FBI?"  
"Yes," she responded. "And their looking for us. They also are suspicious about us having people inside the police force. I think my cover may soon be blown, but our other two operatives are not being suspected."  
"We have more?"  
"Yes, Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover."  
"Okay," Dan nodded. "Well, let me know how things are going. We'll have to be cautious now as we go about things."  
"May I ask you something, sir?"  
"Sure."  
"Why haven't there been any missions lately? Activity from League members has been quiet."  
"Um, we're undergoing some possible changes, uh, it's kind of complicated," Dan stuttered, scratching his head.  
"Alright, well, I should be getting back," Annie said.  
"Yeah, thank you," Dan dismissed, watching her leave the room. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, running through what she had just told him. The authorities were trying to catch them, and if they did get caught they'd all be put in prison, and probably for life. There is no evidence of any of their crimes, but belonging to a criminal organization with records of what missions they sent people on would surely suffice as a punishable crime. Not to mention the ownership of so many weapons not available to the general public. The police were definitely going to be a problem.   
'Yes, quite a problem indeed.'  
"What the fuck?" Dan exclaimed, getting up from his chair in surprise at the voice he heard. He was on the pills, so how could he be hearing...  
'Don't overthink it, just be grateful that I'm back.'  
"Get out of my head!" Dan shouted, holding his hands over his ears.   
'You can't get rid of me anymore! I am here forever, Daniel!'  
"Stop it!" Dan screamed.  
'Now, those cops... they surely are going to be a problem aren't they?'  
"No... don't..."  
'I know what we should do.'  
"Please, stop..."  
'We should...'  
"Get out!"   
'Kill them.'  
"We should..." Dan said, finding himself not being able to stop himself from saying the next two words. "Kill them."


	39. Chapter 39

The Hideout was busy again. There hadn't been a mission in so long. Dan stood on the balcony, watching the men he called in gearing up. The place was filled with the sound of guns being loaded and excited chatter. Someone was coming up the steps, and Dan turned to greet them. Four men about the same height as him stood before him.  
'Perfect, they came.'  
"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Dan said.  
"Why did you call us and not some of your eleven friends?" one of the guys asked.  
'They're irrelevant.'  
"Because they wouldn't agree to this," Dan answered. "Follow me."  
Dan led them into the office, where he had a map laid out on the table in the center. They gathered around it and Dan began explaining the mission.  
"This is the police station where the FBI is working from," he said, pointing to a square on the map. "We're going to have four teams, each taking a different way in. Two of the teams will enter the sewers and use a bomb to get into the basement on each side of the building. The third team will go in from the roof either by helicopter or just jumping from roof to roof. The fourth team will walk in through the front door and will also have the most gun power."  
"What's the objective of this mission?" one man asked.  
'Fuck 'em up.'  
"Well, Mr. Alexander Jackson, we're going to wreak havoc."  
The guys smirked and nodded, all leaving the office except for Alexander.  
"I thought you were turning against the League, Howell," he said, pacing a bit.  
'Then I took over.'  
"I guess I've had a bit of a wake up call."  
"I know the guys who have been trying to kill you," Alexander said. "I'll see if I can get them to stop."  
'You're a keeper.'  
"Thank you," Dan nodded. When Alexander left Dan went to a pile of boxes that were left in the office by the previous leaders. The first one he opened had a black trench coat in it, and Dan tried it on, finding it a perfect fit. He studied his reflection in the mirror, smirking evilly. Dan then picked up his gun from where it was resting on the desk and loaded it, slipping many more rounds into his pockets. Then he descended the stairs, standing before almost a hundred men.   
"Let's go get 'em!" Dan yelled, getting cheers and shouts in reply.  
Everyone headed outside to leave. Dan was about to walk to the truck he was riding in when a voice stopped him.   
"Dan! What's going on?"   
He turned and saw Marcus Butler jogging toward him.  
'Kill him.'  
"The FBI are onto us, so I'm doing something about it," Dan replied.  
"We can't attack the police! It's too risky!"  
'Kill him.'  
"Well, we are, and as the Leader you have no right to stop me."  
"Oh yeah?" Marcus said, pulling a gun from his back pocket. He laughed and smiled. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time, Howell."  
'Kill him.'  
"You know what will happen if you shoot me," Dan cautioned. "It won't end well for you."  
"Do you think I care about what happens to me?" Marcus shouted. "She's dead! Niomi is dead and it's the fault of you and your father!"  
'Kill him.'  
"I had nothing to do with the attack, you know that." Dan positioned his gun behind the cover of the trench coat.   
"No! You called us in to fight in a fight that wasn't ours!"   
'Stop stalling and just kill him!'  
"Go home, Marcus," Dan said calmly.  
"No!" Marcus yelled. "This is madness! You're just going to get everyone else killed! Niomi, Jim, Tanya... their deaths are on your hands!"  
Dan pulled the trigger, moving quickly to grab the gun from Marcus's outstretched hands. Dan's bullet hit Marcus's stomach, and blood began staining his shirt. Dan watched as the shorter man crumpled to the ground, his hands pressed against the wound.   
"Dan!" Alexander shouted from the truck. "We have to go!"   
Dan took one last glance at Marcus's body and jogged to the truck, hopping into the passenger seat.  
'Good job, now let's do the real work.'  
\----  
When the truck pulled up in front of the police station Dan could hear the chaos that was already happening inside. He hopped out onto the pavement and watched as the others from the truck started lining up to go inside. Their formation would place Dan and Alexander in the middle, protected by those around them. Once everyone was in place Dan called for them to go in.   
The moment they stepped through the doors the gunfire got louder. The lobby had been taken over by their forces, so they easily moved from there to the second floor, which was where most of the offices were. Dan wanted to find the FBI agents and leave them a message, so he told Alexander to snoop around with the others while he went off of on his own. Dan chose a hallway and started down it, his gun ready and loaded in his hand. He stepped over the body of a man and heard glass crunching underneath his feet. He found most of the rooms to be empty, but when he got to the end of the hallway he found what he had been looking for. In the last room where two FBI agents, one with blood dripping from his arm and the other a woman trying to help him. Dan called to them and they raised their hands in the air in compliance. They guy left his injured arm down.  
'Make them feel pain. I'm dying of boredom let's have some fun with them!'  
"Are there any cameras around here?" Dan asked nonchalantly. "Or do either of you have your cell phones on you?"  
"M-mine's over on that desk there," the woman stuttered, pointing across the room. Dan stepped backward to pick it up, leaving the gun trained on the two of them.   
"What's the name of your leader? Who over here is calling the shots for the FBI?" Dan questioned.  
"I will never tell you," the woman said, holding her head high. Dan knelt down and put the tip of the gun right against her head.  
'Yes, that's it. Make them beg for mercy.' Dan's face was so close to hers he could feel her heavy and anxious breathing.  
"How about now?" Dan challenged. The woman spat in his face, and Dan wiped it away with his free hand. "Well, that wasn't very nice." Dan pulled back the lever to put a bullet in the chamber, but when he was about to pull the trigger a voice stopped him.  
"Wait!" the guy next to them exclaimed. "His name is Quinton Norwood! He's tall and African American!"  
'Wow, what a hero.'  
"Well, at least someone here is smart," Dan chuckled, removing the gun from her head and standing up. "I'm going to record a little message on your phone that I want you to deliver to him for me."  
Dan held up the phone and slid open the camera, pressing record when it was ready to take a video.  
"Hello there, Mr. Quinton Norwood. I would like to kindly ask you to stay out of our fucking business. London is our territory, and you will never take it from us. Enjoy cleaning up our mess," Dan ended with a smile, ending the recording and tossing the phone to the woman. "Have a lovely day!" Dan said, leaving the room to tell everyone to move out.  
\----  
When Dan got back he was greeted by a sight he was unhappy to see, Phil and Katie were sitting in the office. Katie's face was twisted in anger and her arms were folded across her chest. He could see her fists clenched tight. Phil was on the sofa, and he had a sad look in his eyes. 'Oh no, we're in for it.'  
"What the fuck did you just do?" Katie asked him, looking him straight in the eyes.  
'The most fun thing ever!'  
"I made sure we won't get arrested," Dan answered simply.  
"Are you shitting me right now? You asked me to watch out for you and now I see why! You can't fucking attack authorities! It's against our code!" Katie screamed.  
'Stupid girl, what do you know?'  
"Well maybe it's time for a new code!" Dan argued.  
"Killing wasn't supposed to be part of the new code," Phil said from the sofa. He stood up now and walked closer to Dan. "You promised me."  
'Promises are for pussies.'  
"Can we have a minute?" Dan asked Katie, who huffed in annoyance but left the room, leaving the two alone.  
"I can't believe you, Dan!" Phil shouted.  
"Can't believe me? You know me better than anyone! How could you not see this coming?"  
"Because you made me a promise! You said you would help make the League better, but I see that promise meant nothing to you!"  
"I only made that promise to keep you in the League," Dan replied. "But I see now that I don't need you."  
"Don't need me?" Phil repeated incredulously. "In missions or in life?"  
"Just when it comes to this stuff, babe," Dan said. "I love you, you know that."  
"No, after this, I honestly don't know that. You're just like your father."  
"What did you just say?" Dan questioned, stepping closer to Phil.  
"I said you are just like your father!" Phil shouted, now face to face with his boyfriend. Dan reached up his hand and slapped Phil across the face. Phil's hand went up to clutch his stinging cheek, and he held back the tears that wanted to fall from his face.   
"I am not my father!" Dan yelled, hearing the office door opening behind him.  
"Phil? Are you alright?" Katie asked, running to him.   
"I'm fine," Phil answered, still holding a hand against his cheek. Katie stood up, fuming with anger. She pulled back her arm let her fist fly, landing a punch straight into Dan's face. He staggered backward, clutching his nose in pain. He moved one hand away and saw that blood was now dripping from his nostrils.   
"Next time you hurt him, I won't just punch you," Katie spat, tugging Phil to the door.   
"I don't know what's going on," Phil said. "But this isn't you, Dan."  
With that the two of them left, slamming the door shut behind them.


	40. Chapter 40

Katie sat across from Phil at the counter in Joe's apartment. They hadn't wanted to stick around the Hideout, so they left to find somewhere to talk. Joe placed a steaming cup of coffee on the counter for Phil, who thanked him as he handed Katie a hot chocolate.   
"You can stay here, Phil, for as long as you need," Joe offered. "The couch pulls out. You could even take my bed and I'll take the couch."  
"Thanks, Joe," Phil nodded.   
"I can't believe he'd do something like that," Joe wondered aloud. "I mean, Marcus was our friend. Do you think it was those voices?"  
"Either that or he really is just like his father," Phil sighed, playing with the ring on his finger. He brushed over the D carved into it over and over again. His movement was interrupted when Katie put her hand on top of his. He looked up and she offered him a small smile, which he returned.  
"When Dan told me about the voices, he mentioned something about them taking over. I think that's why he asked me to look out for him, because in some way they were trying to take over him," Katie told them.  
"So you think that really isn't Dan?" Phil asked.  
"I've known you two for as long as I can remember," Katie replied. "And this just doesn't seem like something he would do. Killing Marcus is a deed he would only do if the need arose, and he easily could just knocked him out or talked him down; you both saw the surveillance video. And attacking the police isn't a good move strategically, and Dan never does something without thinking. He's smart."  
"So if he's been taken over by these voices, then how do we stop them?" Joe questioned.  
"I don't know," Phil sighed. "But I can't give up on him. My Dan is in there somewhere. I know it."  
\----  
Eren walked through the wreck that was now the police station. He had to find Levi. He had stayed late last night to help Jean and Marco on a case. He had to be alive. He had to.   
Eren entered their office, seeing Levi leaning casually on a desk, with his arm in a sling. Eren's heart sank and he let out a cry from his throat. Levi saw him and stood up, letting Eren hold him tight in relief.   
"I was so scared," Eren whispered. Levi held onto him with his uninjured arm.  
"I'm okay," Levi replied. "I'm alright."  
"Are Jean and Marco okay?" Eren asked when they parted.  
"Since when did you care about Jean?" Levi asked sarcastically. Eren gave him a look that told him not to joke around. "They're okay, Marco's pretty banged up though. They sent him to the hospital, but last I heard he was going to survive."  
"Good," Eren nodded. "Do they know who did this?"   
"See for yourself," a voice said. Eren turned and saw Quinton Norwood standing a few feet away from him. The man beckoned the two of them over and pointed them to a computer screen. He pressed play on the video that was pulled up. On it he saw a face he recognized.  
"Hello there, Mr. Quinton Norwood," the man in the video said. "I would like to kindly ask you to stay out of our fucking business. London is our territory, and you will never take it from us. Enjoy cleaning up our mess."  
"That was..." Eren started.  
"Daniel Howell," Quinton finished. "You arrested him and then released him, why?"  
"We had his fingerprints on a knife that his partner's blood on it, but they didn't know anything about that," Eren explained. "I knew they were lying, but I didn't know why."  
"I happen to think this Howell character is leading the LSTI," Quinton told them. "And I know you've been trying to track them down for years. I'm a bit short on investigators after tonight's incident, so what do you say you two help me out?"  
"Are you serious?" Eren asked enthusiastically. Quinton nodded. "Yes! Of course!"


	41. Chapter 41

The remaining Elevens and some lower level people that Katie rounded up and deemed trustworthy were packed into Joe's apartment. Phil stood at the center of the room with his fellow Elevens, feeling a bit intimidated by all the eyes that were on him. Katie nudged him with her elbow and he cleared his throat.  
"Can I have your attention please?" Phil asked, loud enough for almost the whole room to hear, but the chatter didn't quiet down.  
"Yo shut it!" Katie yelled, everyone instantly growing quiet.  
"Thanks," Phil mumbled. "Thank you all for coming, I know it was on short notice and it might seem a bit weird. However, there's something going on within the League that needs to be stopped, and that thing is my fiancé. I hate to admit it, but something needs to be done about what he's doing." Phil stopped for a moment to look around. "What I'm proposing is a change so drastic, I almost can't picture it ever being reality, but I believe it's an ideal that requires more than just me and a daydream. I want to reform the League, to make it different. I'm tired of the killing and the violence, and I think we can use our talents for something that isn't crime.  
"I know that this may seem impossible to some of you, because killing and violence is all that we've been taught. The League has implanted in us this idea that crime is what we live for, but it doesn't have to be. At one point in my life, I accepted that I would never be a good guy. I accepted that my boyfriend was a murderer who got off on torturing people. I accepted that I lived in a world where I had to face my biggest fears every single day just to make a living. But I don't accept it anymore. I know that some of you may not know how to live a life different from the one you've been living, and I understand that completely. So if you want to leave, you can do so. I won't pressure you into doing anything you don't want to do."  
Phil looked around the room. No one budged.   
"We're all with you, Phil," Katie said beside him.   
"Okay," Phil nodded. "Then I guess I'll share with you my plan. It's only a start, but I think it's a good one. I'm going to get the police to help us."  
"The police?" someone in the crowd repeated.  
"You mean the ones Howell attacked?" someone else asked.  
"Yes," Phil answered. "I know it sounds crazy, but I believe I can get them to compromise with us. Plus, I think I know the exact detective to contact."  
"We should have a name," Zoë added from behind Phil. "Like a team name."  
"How about the Rogues?" Katie suggested.  
"I like it," Phil smiled. "We're the Rogues."  
The room erupted in cheers and chatter again, but suddenly a thought came to Phil's mind. "One more thing!" he shouted, the room growing quiet at his demand. "Don't kill Dan, please. I know he's done bad things, but it's not his fault. I can help him, I just need to get him somewhere he can't hurt anyone else. I love him, and I know I can help him."  
"If you meet him, try to immobilize him," Katie added. "Knock him out or tie him up and get him to us."  
The room grew loud once again, and Phil let out a sigh of relief.  
"That was one hell of a speech," Katie said to him, folding her arms casually across her chest.  
"I was just speaking my mind," Phil shrugged.  
"Well it got me hyped," Alfie said from where he stood beside Zoë.   
"Yeah, we've got your back, mate," Joe confirmed, making Phil smile and his heart swell with love for his friends.


	42. Chapter 42

With Katie's infinite resources it was easy to find out everything Phil needed to know about Detective Eren Jaeger. The next night Phil followed him home along the rooftops, hopping onto the balcony of his and his partner's apartment. He hadn't known that the two detectives who had arrested him and Dan were together in that way, and he found it funny when he was looking through the files. He had chosen tonight because his partner, Levi Ackerman, had to stay at the police station later, which meant Phil could talk to Eren alone.   
He watched through the glass as the front door opened. The only light came from the moon, which shone down on Phil's back. Eren didn't turn the lights on, but he did notice Phil and rushed to the balcony, pulling the door open quickly and pulling out his gun.   
"Who are you?" Eren demanded, holding the gun steadily out in front of him. The pace of Phil's heart quickened with the weapon pointed at him, but he kept his face calm.   
"I'm Phil Lester," he replied. "I'm here to talk to you about the League of Specially Trained Individuals. Can you please put your gun down?"  
Eren sighed and put it away. "You've piqued my interest. Why do you want to talk about it? Are you a member?"  
"I am, or was, it's kind of complicated," Phil answered. "A lot of us in the League are against what is going on right now."  
"You mean the attack on the police station?"  
"Yes, it shouldn't have happened. The League needs to be stopped. My friends and I, we want the League to be different, to stand for something better."  
"How are you going to do that? Hasn't the League been committing crime for generations?"  
"That's why we have to take down the current leadership. We'll need the police's help with this, because our numbers are too small compared those still loyal to the League."  
"I might be able to get you support, but what's in it for us? This is a criminal organization we're talking about, you can't ask for our help without giving us something for it."  
"You'll get to put every member who opposes us behind bars, however there is a catch..." Phil trailed off.  
"A catch?" Eren repeated.   
"We get to keep the Leader, Dan Howell."  
"Dan Howell? So he is the Leader," Eren mumbled.  
"You know about him?" Phil questioned.  
"Yeah, he left us a message when he came and attacked the station. Here, I have the video," Eren said, pulling out his phone to show the video Dan left to Phil.  
"What has he become," Phil muttered sadly.  
"He's your boyfriend, right?" Eren asked.  
"Fiancé," Phil corrected. "Or at least he was. I don't know who's in control of his body anymore."  
"What does that mean?"  
"There are these voices that he heard in his head," Phil explained. "He and his father both had them, but Dan said something about them taking over him, and I think that's what is happening. He'd never do something like that."  
"So he's sick?"  
"Yeah, and I have to help him. That's why I need us to lock him up, not the police. I promise you he won't be in charge anymore."  
Eren nodded as Phil spoke. "Okay, I'll see what I can do."  
"Thank you," Phil said. "I'll be in contact with you."  
"Contact?" Eren asked, but Phil was jumping onto the roof before he could finish his thought.  
\----  
Phil got back to Joe's apartment and found Katie and Joe watching a movie in the living room.   
"How'd it go?" Katie asked him without turning around. Phil walked over and plopped down onto the arm chair.   
"I think we're going to have the help we need," Phil told them.  
"Great," Katie nodded, taking a handful of popcorn and putting it in her mouth.   
Phil stayed and watched the movie. It was some spy movie with lots of explosions and dangerous feats. When it was over Joe turned off the television and the three of them sat in silence for a few minutes.  
"Do you think there'll be another battle?" Joe asked no one particular.  
"Sadly, yeah," Katie answered.  
"I wish there was another way," Phil sighed, "but the only way it seems we'll be able to defeat him is through a fight."  
"So more death is inevitable, huh?" Joe said. Phil nodded.  
"I say fuck it," Katie blurted out. "Death is death and we can't stop it. All we can do is accept that it's going to happen in our line of work."  
"After this battle, there'll be no more death," Phil insisted. "That's why we're fighting."  
"Damn straight," Katie nodded.  
"No, he's gay," Joe joked, earning laughter from all three of them.  
\----  
Dan had decided to go to the League's pub. He sat at the bar with a glass in his hand that was refilled for free each time it was emptied, playing with the ring on his finger. The bartender had insisted since he was the Leader. Dan's mind was growing foggier as a group of guys gathered beside him, laughing and shouting as they took shots and downed various liquors. One of them noticed Dan and went over to him, slapping his shoulders in a friendly manner.  
"What's up Dan?" the guy asked.  
"Nothing," Dan mumbled in reply.  
"You wanna hang with us? We'd love to have you," the guy said.  
"No thank you, Alexander," Dan replied. "I prefer to be alone."  
"If you insist, but we'll be over here," Alexander finished, walking back to his buddies. Dan kept drinking, finding himself certain that he'd need a taxi back home. He hadn't been to the apartment in days, since he'd been sleeping in the office. Going home reminded him of Phil, and didn't want to think about him. He knew he hurt him, and it gave him a pain in his chest that he couldn't describe.  
'Stop worrying about Phil and have some fun, will ya?'  
But I love him.  
'Love is a weakness, you're better off without him around.'  
I need to apologize to him...  
'No you don't.'  
No I don't.  
'You don't need him.'  
I don't need him, but I love-  
'Oh for crying out loud get over it! He's gone! He left!'  
"Dan, are you alright?" a voice asked him. Dan looked and saw Alexander had returned to sit beside him.   
"Yeah, I'm fine," Dan answered. "Where's your possé?"  
"They all went home, it's almost 1 am," Alexander told him.  
"Is it? Shit, I better get going..."  
"Why don't you stay with me?" Alexander suggested. "You seem pretty drunk."  
"I'm fine, I can get back..."  
"Come on, I insist," Alexander said, tugging on Dan's elbow to keep him from leaving the bar.  
"Alright, fine," Dan shrugged, figuring it wouldn't do any harm to sleep on someone else's couch for a night. Alexander led him up the stairs of the bar where rooms were for visiting League members. He had forgotten that Alexander didn't actually live in London. Alexander took out a key and unlocked the door to the second room on the right, letting Dan go in first.   
"You can sleep in the bed if you want. I'll take the couch," Alexander said.  
"No, it's fine, I'll couch," Dan replied, stumbling over his words. Alexander nodded and went to the bed where a suitcase was lying open on the floor beside it. He took off his shirt and threw it in the case, Dan staring at his back. When he turned around he saw Dan staring at him and smirked. He was very well built, with muscles and chiseled features. He could practically have been a statue. He made his way over to Dan, who swallowed and licked his lips as the other man stood over him as he sat on the back of the couch.   
"Like what you see?" Alexander asked, Dan nodding in reply. "I bet you're just as ripped."  
"No, not really," Dan answered, gasping as Alexander reached down and pulled Dan's shirt over his head, exposing his pale chest and tummy. He felt suddenly self conscious, seeing as he did not have the muscles that the guy before him did.  
"You're beautiful," Alexander hummed, kissing Dan's neck and sucking gingerly on his skin, making Dan moan in pleasure. "I bet Phil never treated you this good."  
"Well usually I top," Dan sassed, earning a laugh from Alexander who cupped Dan's face with his hands and pressed their lips together.  
"Let's go to the bed, yeah?" Alexander suggested, lifting Dan, whose legs were wrapped around his torso and placing him down of the bed.


	43. Chapter 43

"Eren slow down!" Levi called after his boyfriend as they walked to the police station.   
"No!" he shouted back, giddy with excitement to tell the news he had from Phil Lester. They had to agree to it. It was the best offer they could get.   
When they got to the office Eren went straight to Agent Norwood, who luckily wasn't busy. "Mr. Norwood, sir," Eren began, "I have some information that you might find interesting."  
"Go on," the agent said.  
"Last night a League member came to me with a proposal," Eren told him, Levi now standing at his side.  
"And you didn't arrest him?" the agent questioned.  
"Please hear me out," Eren pleaded. "This is a good deal."   
"Alright, speak."  
"The guy was Phil Lester, the other one we arrested. He says that he and other former League members have broken away from the League and are against what they're doing. So he's asking for help from us since they don't have the manpower to take on the League."  
"Any other conditions to this partnership?"  
"We get to lock up everyone that opposes us, but they keep Dan Howell."  
"Absolutely not," Norwood decided. "He's the Leader."  
"Not really!" Eren argued. "Phil said he's sick, like mentally. They want to help him..."  
"Eren, we can't trust the word of criminals, especially when they want to spare their Leader," Norwood objected.  
"Please," Eren begged. "I know we can trust him."  
"I'll do it, but on one condition," Norwood sighed. "I want to meet with their leaders, this Phil Lester and whoever else is in charge of their rebel group."  
\----  
There was a knock at the door and Phil went to answer it, finding Calum and Michael on the other side. He greeted them and let them inside. "I think you guys know Katie and Joe," Phil said as he introduced them.   
"Yeah, they untied us back at the fight," Calum added. "Thank you."  
"Don't mention it," Joe shrugged.  
"Thank you guys for coming," Phil said.  
"Of course," Calum nodded. "Like I said, if you ever needed our help we'd be here."  
"You're trying to take Dan down, right?" Michael asked.  
"Yeah, but really the entire structure of the League itself," Katie answered.  
"We can't kill Dan," Phil muttered, earning looks of sympathy from the two Australians.  
"Should we call the detective and see if he's brought up the deal yet?" Katie suggested.   
"Oh yeah, let's give him a call," Phil agreed, pulling out his phone and dialing Eren Jaeger's number. He placed the call on speaker and it rang a few times before he picked up.  
"Hello?"  
"Eren, this is Phil," he greeted. "Have you talked to anyone about the deal yet?"  
"Yeah, my superior agreed, but on one condition," Eren replied.  
"What is it?"  
"He wants to meet with you and whoever else is leading your group," Eren told him.  
"When?"  
"As soon as possible."  
"We can be there tomorrow at noon," Phil said, hanging up and putting his phone back in his pocket.  
"Tomorrow?" Katie questioned. "That's moving pretty fast."  
"We have to be fast so the problem doesn't worsen before we get to Dan," Phil replied.  
"Okay, then I guess we have our plans for tomorrow sorted," Katie nodded.  
\----  
Dan sat at his desk playing with his ring again, replaying the events of that night in his head. He shouldn't have done it... if Phil were to find out...  
'Stop worrying about it, he's gone.'  
But I still care about him. I always have.  
'Then do something about it instead of sitting here feeling sorry for yourself. If Phil is yours you should go get him back.'  
"Hey, Dan," a voice said, coming into the office and interrupting his thoughts.  
"Alexander, hi," he greeted awkwardly.  
"How are you?" Alexander asked.  
"A bit hungover, but fine otherwise; maybe a bit sore," Dan answered, earning a chuckle from the other man. "Look about last night, we can't do that again. I'm with Phil and..."  
"Phil isn't here, he ran away," Alexander objected.  
"I'll get him. He'll come around and see that everything is okay. I know it, and if he doesn't, then I'll make him."


	44. Chapter 44

Dan looked up as someone entered the office. It was the guy he had asked to follow Phil and find out where he was staying.  
"What did you find?" Dan asked him.  
"He's staying at Joe Sugg's apartment, along with Katie Simmons," the guy replied.  
"Damn, Katie will be a problem," Dan muttered. "Thank you, you are dismissed."  
The guy left with a nod and left Dan alone again.  
'If she hears you taking him you'll never get him.'  
I know that.  
'She's too good. She'd be better off dead.'  
No, I can't kill her. Not yet, at least.  
'I doubt you'd be able to anyway. She's quite impressive.'  
I have to at least try to get him back.  
Dan stood and put on his trench coat, sticking a knife in the inside pocket and some rope. He left the Hideout and started walking, trying to remember where Joe Sugg's apartment was. He walked a few blocks before finding himself a street away from the apartment. It was a nice building, and he could remember the apartment itself being very modern and neat. The door was locked, but Dan took out a pin that was stuffed in his the pocket of his jeans and picked the lock, quietly swinging the door open. Right there in the living room was Joe, asleep on the couch. Dan tiptoed down the stairs and looked in the first bedroom, finding that - to his luck - it was Phil's.   
He moved to stand beside the bed, watching his chest move in and out as he breathed. His black hair was a mess and his face as pale as ever. He looked so beautiful. Dan sighed and pulled the rope from his coat and gently picked up Phil's hands to tie them together. Phil stirred in his sleep and suddenly movement flashed in the corner of his eye, but before Dan could react someone was standing behind him with a knife pressed to his throat.  
"What the fuck are you doing here?" a familiar voice demanded.   
"I came for Phil," Dan answered. "You understand, don't you Katie?"  
"If you want Phil back you're going to have to find some other way to do it," Katie spat. "Kidnapping seems a bit harsh, don't you think?"  
"I love him," Dan replied calmly. "I need him."  
"Get out," Katie commanded. "Or I'll slit your throat."  
"K-Katie?" Phil stuttered, waking up from his sleep. "What's going on?" He opened his eyes and looked up and saw Dan. Phil's eyes widened in shock and he crawled backward on the bed to get away from him. "D-Dan?"  
"Hi Philly," Dan greeted.  
"He was trying to kidnap you," Katie explained, not moving the knife from where she held it.  
"Why would you do that?" Phil questioned.  
"Because I love you!" Dan objected.  
"Love? You don't kidnap someone out of love, Dan!"  
"But I have to... I need you with me..."  
"Well you should have thought about that when you betrayed my trust," Phil said, instantly regretting what he had said. He saw Dan smiling, and he looked at him in confusion.  
"When you're here... they're gone... the voices..." Dan mumbled. "Please help me..." His eyes were filled with tears, and Phil could feel his heart breaking inside his chest. He hadn't been this close to Dan in so long.   
"I will," Phil said. "But I can't just yet, I need time..."  
"Time? You're a liar!" Dan cried. "You never gave a damn about me! I'm not falling for your lies anymore!"  
"I'll get rid of him," Katie said, pulling his hands behind his back and holding them there. "Where should I take him?"  
"Our apartment," Phil answered. "Take him home."  
Katie nodded and pushed Dan at knife point out of Joe's place and out into the streets.  
\----  
Hours after Katie returned Dan home they all got ready to go to the police station. Phil had unsuccessfully tried to go back to sleep, but every time he shut his eyes Dan was there again, begging for help. He had never seen him so weak, so helpless.  
"It's time to go," Katie announced, slipping her sword into its sheath. It was a long, katana-like weapon that had been passed down in her family. It was her weapon of choice when it came to most missions. Phil had several knives hidden under his coat, which was brown and stopped around his knees. All three of them had long coats, Katie's black and billowing around her ankles. Joe's was similar to Phil's but black and with two handguns in holsters underneath it.  
"We look badass," Joe smirked, earning a smile from Phil and a contempt laugh from Katie.  
It took them twenty minutes to walk to the police station, and when they got there all eyes were on them. The place was still pretty messed up from the attack, and Phil could feel the guilt rising in his throat. Waiting for them in the lobby were detectives Eren Jaeger and Levi Ackerman, along with a tall man Phil didn't recognize.  
"I'm Quinton Norwood of the FBI," the tall man said. "I'm guessing you're Philip Lester."  
"Yes," Phil nodded. "And these two beside me are Katie Simmons and Joe Sugg. Together we lead the Rogues, a group of people against what the League stands for."  
"Yet you come in here with weapons in your belt," Norwood examined.   
"The violence isn't over yet," Phil replied. "We have to be ready and vigilent."  
"Let's move our talk upstairs," Norwood suggested, leading them all to the elevator. They went to the second floor and were led down a hallway to a large office filled with cubicles and people in suits. Everyone they passed by whispered to their neighbor about the strangers passing them. They went into a private office, where a tall blonde man stood waiting for them.  
"I am Erwin Smith, the captain of this police force," he introduced.   
"Let's get right to business," Norwood said. "You said you wanted to partner with us; why?"  
"Because we can't fight the League alone, they're too powerful," Phil replied.  
"Don't you have allies somewhere? Some fellow criminals to help you out?"  
"That's not how the League works," Phil explained.  
"Why do you want the Leader?" Norwood pressed.  
"Because he's sick, and he's my fiancé. It's my duty to help him."  
"How can I trust you? You may just want to save the Leader so he can restart the League elsewhere."  
"Until he got sick he wanted to help me make the League different. He would never have done anything like that attack in his right mind."  
"None of you are in your right minds, you're criminals!"  
"Okay, listen up Sargeant Dickhead," Katie interrupted, stepping past Phil toward the FBI agent. "I was taught to murder people when I was four years old, and now around twenty years later, I'm fucking sick and tired of the bullshit life I have been living. The same goes for everyone we have recruited to the Rogues. We just want to make a difference, but you have your head so far up your ass that you can't even see what's right in front of you."  
"And what is right in front of me?"  
"An opportunity," Katie responded. "You have us by the balls. Without you, we're hopeless, but without us, you have no idea where the Hideout is, or how to defeat the League. Frankly, you're stupid not to take this deal."  
The agent huffed in annoyance, and Phil smirked as he looked at Katie standing there confidently. He saw Detective Jaeger trying to hold in his laughter across the room.  
"Okay, fine," Norwood answered. "I'll take your deal."


	45. Chapter 45

Phil sat in the armchair watching Katie and Joe playing a violent video game where zombies seemed to be involved. They shoved each other playfully and shouted curse words when bad things happened, making Phil laugh. There was a soft knock at the door and Phil stood to answer it, expecting it to be the pizza they ordered. Instead standing in the hallway were Tyler and Troye, accompanied by someone Phil didn't recognize. The stranger was a boy of similar height to Tyler with messy brown hair. He seemed young, probably around Troye's age.  
"Tyler, Troye, where have you guys been?" Phil questioned. "When I tried to call you the other day you didn't pick up."  
"I'm sorry Phil, for not telling anyone what I was up to, but it was urgent," Tyler replied. "Can we come in? I have a lot of explaining to do."  
Phil nodded and opened the door wider and stepped aside so the three could come inside. Katie and Joe looked over and paused their game, Katie standing up and crossing her arms over her chest like she often did. Phil had noticed that she seemed to always do that when she was on alert to possible danger.  
"Look who's back from the dead," Joe joked.  
"Nice to see you too, Joe," Tyler nodded.  
"What happened to you?" Katie asked. "You practically vanished into thin air."  
"I wasn't entirely truthful about why I came here to London," Tyler said. "I wasn't just here for the mission, I was here to get out of America. When I left the L.A. Hideout was under suspicion by the FBI..."  
"And now it's been taken over by the FBI," the stranger finished. "I'm Connor Franta, the Leader of the Los Angeles Hideout, or at least I was. Every League controlled headquarters in the United States has been compromised,"  
"So the rumors are true?" Katie questioned. "America was defeated."  
"What's left of our forces have come here to London for refuge," Connor explained.  
"Why didn't you go to the Hideout?" Katie pressed. "Isn't that normally where you'd go?"  
"We heard about the attack on the police and didn't think it'd be safe," Tyler answered. "I figured Joe could explain everything. I didn't expect to find you guys here, as well."  
"Well you've missed a lot," Joe told them. "We're against the League now, and Dan's gone mental."  
"Dan's what?" Tyler repeated.  
"He's sick," Phil muttered in reply, hugging his arms close to his body.   
"Like, mentally?" Tyler asked. Phil nodded. "Oh Phil, I'm so sorry."  
"What do you mean you're against the League?" Connor interrupted.  
"We want to change it, make it better," Katie responded. "We're working with the police."  
"Working with the police? Are you guys crazy?" Connor wondered.  
"Look, if you work with us you'll get off without being arrested," Katie argued. "If you go against us and team up with Dan's forces, you'll end up in jail once we take over the Hideout."  
"Fair enough," Connor nodded.  
"So you'll help us?" Phil asked.  
"Yeah, I'm kind of tired of killing things, honestly," he replied with a smirk.  
"I have one more question for you," Katie announced. "You seem a bit young to lead a Hideout. How'd you get the position?"  
"I beat everyone else who was in the running," Connor answered. "I know you guys vote on a new Leader, but in the states we host a tournament to determine who will get the position. I got thrown in on a dare and ended up winning."  
"Damn, I'll admit I'm impressed," Katie said, walking up to Connor and holding out her hand. "Welcome to the Rogues."  
\----  
Eren sat scrolling through documents on his computer. They had gotten tons of files from the Rogues of League missions and information, and Eren was tasked with sifting through a share of it to see if anything of use showed up. He was scrolling through records of members and quickly scrolled past the photo of a blonde woman before doing a double take and scrolling back to take a better look. The face in the picture was unmistakably that of someone he knew. He looked at the name to the left of the photo and saw it. Annie Leonhart. Underneath her name was her status as of a few days ago, and it read in red print: 'Undercover.'   
"Hey Levi, come look at this," Eren called, his boyfriend stepping into his cubicle to look at the computer screen.   
"Oh my God..." Levi breathed. "We have to show Norwood."  
Eren nodded and printed the page, speed walking to Norwood's office. They knocked on the already open door and walked in when he told them to.  
"We found something in the documents given to us by the Rogues that is pretty important," Eren said, placing the file on his desk. Norwood picked up the piece of paper and looked it over, sighing as he reached for his phone. He dialed a number and began talking.  
"Annie Leonhart please come to my office," he spoke, his voice projected to the whole building. "This is Agent Norwood. Please come to my office on Level 2."   
He put the phone down and folded his hands on the desk.  
"Are you sure that's wise, sir?" Levi asked.  
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Norwood assured him.   
In a few minutes a short blonde woman appeared in the doorway. Norwood beckoned her inside, and told her to shut the door behind her. The agent then stood up, and pulled out his gun from its holster. He aimed at her, but didn't pull the trigger.  
"What are you doing?" Eren shouted, both he and Levi shocked at the agent's actions.  
"Annie Leonhart, you are a spy working for the League, am I right?" Norwood questioned. Annie's usually passive face twisted into a smile and she began to laugh maniacally.   
"I knew my cover was going to be blown," she sighed, wiping tears from her eyes. "I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner."  
In one quick motion she protruded a knife from the inside of her coat and flung it in the direction of Agent Norwood. He was distracted as the knife plunged into his shoulder and Annie dashed out the door, Eren chasing after her with his gun in his hand. Levi called after him and followed, groaning at his boyfriend's stupidity.   
Eren followed Annie down the stairs to the lobby, where he caught up to her and yelled for her to freeze.  
"Stop Annie! It's over!" he shouted, keeping his gun trained on her. All eyes were on the two of them. Levi burst through the doors and held his gun on her too.  
"Come on," Annie challenged. "Fight me."  
Annie ran at him, kicking both his and Levi's guns out of their hands in one move. She then grabbed Eren's arm and pushed him aside, turning to Levi and blocking a punch from him. She then kicked him in the gut and sent him stumbling backward. Eren rushed up behind her, but she grabbed him and flipped him over her head. He landed on his back on the linoleum floor and he cried out in pain. Levi came back at her, swinging his fists and trying to connect, but she blocked or moved away from his attacks.   
Eren looked to his right and saw his gun lying on the floor, he reached out and grabbed it, standing up and aiming at the two. Levi was in the way, he had to wait for an opening...   
Suddenly Levi took control, pushing her away from him, making the perfect opportunity for Eren to shoot. He aimed for her leg, hitting her right he wanted to. Annie fell to the floor, crippled by the bullet that hit her. Levi took the handcuffs he had in his pocket and tied her hands behind her back.  
\----  
When Dan had awoken back in his apartment he had left immediately, finding that he saw Phil in every corner of the place. He only stayed a few minutes longer to collect something. Around the office he placed every picture of Phil that he owned. They covered only one wall, and he stood looking at it without noticing someone had walked into the office.  
"I see now why you rejected me," Alexander chuckled. Dan turned around and felt his face grow hot with embarrassment.   
"It's not what it looks like..." he began.  
"Don't worry, I don't find it creepy or anything," Alexander said. "We're all a bunch of crazies around here."  
"Can you maybe not tell anyone about this?" Dan asked.  
"Of course, but may I suggest to you someone who can get you more pictures?"   
"What do you mean?"  
"Amongst our ranks is someone who specializes in secrecy and stalking," Alexander explained. "Want me to give them a mission?"  
"I don't know, that seems creepy and weird..."  
"Come on, Dan, do it," Alexander said, stepping close to Dan so their faces were inches apart. "I know what you want."  
'Yeah, Dan, do it. He knows what you want.'


	46. Chapter 46

Phil and Katie walked into the police station and the familiar feeling of having all eyes turn to them. Even after the deal was made to work with them some employees at the police station found it hard to believe that real criminals were walking freely around the place. Not to mention the way they dressed drew attention, in their long coats and weapons belts it was hard not to notice them. The two took the elevator to the second floor and walked to the office where the FBI was stationed. They went straight to Norwood's desk and stated their business.  
"Where is she?" Phil asked.  
"I'm guessing you mean the spy," Norwood answered. "She's in the first interrogation room down the hall. Don't attempt to free her or anything or I'll shoot you in the head."  
"Not if I have something to say about it," Katie muttered as they walked away.   
They went to the room they had been directed to and found the blonde woman sitting at the table with her hands handcuffed to it. She smirked at them and tilted her head, following them with her eyes as they stood in front of her on the other side of the table.   
"Annie, we'd like to ask you some questions," Phil started.  
"Obviously," Annie remarked snidely.  
"We want to know if Dan has any big plans or goals," Phil told her. She said nothing, and Phil sighed. "I'll leave her with you," he said to Katie, who cracked her knuckles and smiled evilly.   
Phil closed the door behind him, going to the room next door to look through the one-way glass. As he watched Katie interrogating the spy he heard someone come into the room. He looked to see who it was and saw Eren standing right next to him. The detective crossed his arms over his chest and watched the scene unfolding in the other room.  
"She's pretty talented, huh?" Eren said, taking Phil by surprise.  
"Yeah, second best in the League," Phil nodded.  
"Second? Who's first?" Eren questioned.  
"Dan..." Phil sighed.  
"He's your boyfriend, right? Or was?" Phil only nodded in reply. "Sorry, I'm sure you don't want to talk about it."  
"I'm going to get him back, eventually," Phil said. "I have to."  
"Of course you will," Eren agreed. "You just have to stay determined and not give up. I would know, I've been chasing after the League since I was a kid even though everyone told me it was a myth."  
"You've been looking for us?"  
"Yeah, um, my parents were killed by the League when I was like ten," Eren answered.  
"Oh, I'm sorry," Phil replied. "I lost my parents when I was young, too. Dan's family took me in after that."  
"That's how you met him? Dan?"  
"We knew each other even before we lived together," Phil told him. "We were always best friends. How did you meet Levi?"  
"Through work, when I got assigned here I was just a beat cop, but a persistent one. He saw my potential and helped me move up in rank. Mikasa was always naturally better at everything than me, so it was tough in the police academy."  
"Mikasa?"  
"Oh, she's one of my best friends, more like a sister, really. My family took her in when her parents were killed. Then when we were orphaned again we met Armin and we just connected."  
"Is Armin a cop too?"  
"Yeah, he and Mikasa work together," Eren answered. "It was my dream first to become a cop, and they followed suit."  
"That's nice, that you guys stayed together like that," Phil said.  
"Yeah, same with you and Dan," Eren agreed.  
The door swung open and Katie walked in. Phil had been distracted and looked to see Annie sweating in her seat in the interrogation room. He turned to Katie who still wore a wicked grin. "What did you find out?" Phil asked her.  
"Dan has no plans," Katie told him. "They're just doing odd missions and the normal shit. He has no goal other than to get you back."  
"We can place you under protection," Eren suggested.  
"No, that's okay," Phil rejected. "I don't need police protecting me."  
"Yeah, he's got me to save his sorry ass in the middle of the night," Katie remarked. "Come on, let's get going."  
\----  
An unfamiliar face came into the office, and Dan looked at the person in confusion.  
"Who the fuck are you?"   
"I'm the guy who was told to follow Phil around and take some pictures," the short kid responded, holding out an envelope to Dan. He took it and opened it, pulling out one picture of Phil through a window.  
"Thanks, you can leave now," Dan dismissed, dumping the photos onto the desk. The kid had followed him all day. There were photos of him getting dressed in his bedroom, and leaving the apartment with Katie. Dan sifted through them to find their destination, and saw one where they entered the police station.  
"The police? He's working with the police?"  
'That's low, but I didn't see it coming. Kudos to him.'  
"How could he do this?"  
'He probably wants you dead, seeming as you betrayed his trust and fucked everything up.'  
"I didn't fuck /everything/ up..."  
'Uh, yeah you did, idiot. First you killed Marcus, then attacked the police, then you slept with the devilishly good-looking Alexander, and then you tried to kidnap him.'  
"I guess I have done some pretty bad things..."  
'Yes, but we need you to. Don't worry about it, just focus on what he'd need the police's help with.'  
"Well, he said he wants to help me, so that probably means taking me away somewhere."  
'Good, keep going.'  
"Lots of League members have gone off the radar, but so has he. So maybe he has rallied up those against me. But he doesn't want to kill me... however he does want to change the League!" Dan exclaimed, now pacing across the office. "So he must have a group together of people who want to take down the existing League, but that's not a lot of people so he'd need the police's help!"  
'Good work. So now we know what he's up to. So if he comes to try and take us away, then you know what we have to do.'  
"N-No... I can't..."  
'We have to kill him Dan.'  
"No! I can't"  
'Dan.'  
"Shut up!"  
'We have to kill him.'  
"No! We... h-have... we... must kill him."


	47. Chapter 47

The next day Phil, Joe, and Katie entered the police station again. They met with Norwood who had a map of London laid out on a table. He looked at them when they entered and everyone in the room gathered around the table. The only others who had been here before them were Eren, Levi, and a few FBI agents. Phil took a sheet of paper and a red marker and began drawing on it a rough sketch of the layout of the Hideout and its surrounding area.  
"What are you doing?" Norwood asked him.  
"I won't give you the exact location of the Hideout until I'm certain you won't be able to go in and slaughter them all yourself," Phil answered. "We're only killing if it's absolutely necessary, not massacring them."  
The agent sighed in annoyance but said nothing on the subject. "How do we get in the Hideout?" Norwood asked.  
"There is one main entrance here," Phil said, pointing to the front of the building. "What we've done before is send a main force that way to distract them and sent smaller groups around to the six side entrances. They will all take you to the same place which is the main room. Up the stairs is a few private rooms and the Leader's office, which is off limits to police."  
"Because you're going there to deal with Howell," Norwood finished, looking at Phil disapprovingly. "I still don't trust that you won't just take off with him and restart the League elsewhere."  
"We're restarting the League right here," Katie argued. "And if our word isn't enough then I'd like you to imagine my sword cutting your throat."  
"Katie, calm down," Phil muttered.  
"You've got guts, kid," Norwood said to her. "But you wouldn't beat me. You're a small girl."  
"Is that a challenge?" Katie questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.  
"A one on one fist fight, no weapons allowed. First one knocked on the ground for ten seconds is the loser," Norwood proposed.  
"It's on, old man," Katie threatened, narrowing her eyes at him across the table.  
"Oh boy," Joe chuckled quietly.  
Everyone went to the station's gym, and almost half the building gathered around the mats to watch the event. Katie had taken off her coat and was now in just a tank top and leggings. She took off her boots and shoved them into Joe's unsuspecting hands. "Don't lose them, they cost me two hundred bucks," Katie told him, stretching out her muscles.  
"You spent two hundred dollars on boots?" Joe questioned.  
"And you spent two hundred dollars on a coat. Don't act like you're any better than me, Sugg," Katie responded, Phil laughing in response.  
"You've got this," Phil said to her as she prepared to start the fight.  
"Duh," Katie shrugged, turning around and walking up to Norwood. He stood in his suit pants and a white tank top, a generic clothing choice to Katie's taste. They each moved into a ready stance, Katie light and flexible on her feet. Norwood was rigid, standing like a tree in her path. "Do you really stand so still when in a fist fight?" Katie asked him. "You're practically begging for me to kick your ass."  
"Don't be so cocky, kid," he responded.  
"Now, fight!" a voice called, and Katie ducked as he swung a fist at her. His movements were much slower than she was used to. Whether is was the result of old age or lack of experience she didn't care, because it made beating him much easier.   
On his next punch Katie ducked again and punched him in the gut as he did so. When he moved he left his entire body wide open. He staggered backward and Katie backed up, waiting for him to gather his bearings. When he seemed ready she ran at him, jumping and pushing herself up onto his shoulders. All in one move she wrapped her legs around his neck and he was pushed to the ground. Katie sat on his back, holding his hands there and the people around them began counting to ten.   
"Ten!" they all shouted, and she got up and held out a hand to help him up.  
"That was about a minute quicker than I had expected," Katie said.   
"You're good, kid, you're good," Norwood told her.  
"I know," she nodded, turning around to walk back to her friends with a sassy flick of her hair.  
\----  
Dan stood on the balcony, looking down at the League members he commanded. They were talking amongst themselves about the rumors that were going around about why this meeting was occurring. Some said they were taking over London, and others said they were killing the police. Alexander walked up beside him, his hands folded behind his back.   
"Everyone is excited," he said as he stood beside Dan.  
"I don't know if excitement is the right emotion," Dan replied.  
"You ready? I'll grab their attention," Alexander asked.  
"Yeah, do it," Dan nodded, gripping the railing in front of him. Alexander picked up the megaphone and yelled for everyone's attention. The room grew silent and all eyes fell on Dan. He swallowed the nervous lump in his throat and began speaking.   
"Fellow League members, I have recently found out about an alliance between some rogue former members of our and the police," Dan said, some people yelling and booing at the information. "I believe they may try to come and take us down, but we will be prepared. When they come for us we will have guns aimed and ready to fire. We will not go down without a fight!"  
'Yes, get them behind you.'  
"And one more thing," Dan added. "Kill whoever you want, but Phil Lester is mine."


	48. Chapter 48

Dan walked lazily back and forth across the office, his mind racing. There was so much he could do... he could send an assassination group to kill the FBI agents, he could have a group kidnap Phil and kill his friends... but he sat down quickly, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. When was the last time he slept? A few days ago? More than that?  
Alexander came in and saw him sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. "Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine, why are you here?" Dan questioned.  
"I'm here for mission files. You said you'd have them ready to hand out."  
"Oh yeah, they're on the desk," Dan responded, pointing to his right without looking up.  
"Are you sure you're okay?"  
"Of course. It's just a bit of a headache it'll go away."  
Alexander nodded and started out of the office, Dan stood and felt himself grow dizzier. He heard Alexander shout his name as his vision went dark.  
When Dan opened his eyes again he saw a bright light over him. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and saw a woman at his bedside, and Alexander at his feet.   
"What happened?" Dan asked.  
"You fainted," Alexander answered.  
"You're very malnourished and sleep deprived. You need fluids, food, and rest," the woman told him.  
"I can't stay here, I have things to do..." Dan started.  
"No, you have to stay here," Alexander argued. "We need a healthy Leader."  
"But I-"  
"I'll take care care of everything, you get some sleep," he responded. Dan sighed and leaned back against the pillows, allowing himself to close his eyes and drift off.  
\----  
Katie sat on the roof of Joe's apartment building, her legs swinging off the side of the air conditioning unit. She took another swig of the bottle she had stolen from his cabinet and took in the view of the city.   
"Can I join you?" a voice asked, and Katie turned around to see Joe standing behind her. Katie nodded and patted the spot next to her. Joe climbed up and took the bottle, taking a sip as well. "What're you doing up here?"  
"Thinking, but drinking mostly," Katie responded, snatching the bottle back.  
"Thinking about the next battle?" Joe asked.  
"I just don't want to lose anyone else I care about," she answered.  
"Me neither," Joe agreed, "but all we can do is try our damndest not to get killed."  
"I have no worries about myself, it's you I worry about," Katie joked. "And Phil. He can't stand gunfire and blood and he's going to be thrown right in the midst of both of those things."  
"Yeah, he's one of the bravest lads I've ever met."  
"Do you ever think about what your life would be like if you hadn't met a certain person?"  
"All the time," Joe concurred. "Especially when it comes to Caspar."  
"If I hadn't met Dan and Phil I'd probably be lonely and friendless. If I hadn't met you I'd probably still be stuck with Alexander..."  
"And if I hadn't met you I would never have found happiness again," Joe interrupted. Katie turned to him and saw him staring into the distance. "When Caspar died, I felt like I had fallen into a black hole. But there you were, standing strong even though you lost your sister, and you pulled me out."  
"I've learned how to avoid black holes over the years," Katie remarked. They two looked at each other, their hands brushing each other where they gripped the unit they were sitting on top of. Without even realizing it they both began to move closer, and soon their lips were pressed together. Katie felt a sensation she hadn't felt in so long, and she smiled into their kiss. But then she remembered what he said about their first kiss, and pulled away.   
"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have done that..."  
"No, it's alright," Joe objected. "Cas would want me to find someone else to love... and I think I have."  
Katie turned back to him and they kissed again, letting their mouths do the rest of the talking.


	49. Chapter 49

It felt like deja vu, sitting in the woods waiting to storm on the Hideout. Phil was leaning against a tree, trying to calm his nerves. He hadn't gone in with the resistance because of his injury, but now he had to go in, he was the leader of the Rogues. He could remember everything about his first mission, and how every time he heard a gunshot after it he was sent back to that hell. But Dan had always been there to protect him, and to hold him tight when he'd wake up in the middle of the night screaming. But now Phil was the one who had to save Dan.   
In his pocket was a brochure that Katie had given him earlier that day. It was for an island where a guy she had connections with was starting a new program for mental patients. She told him that he could take Dan there, and get him help, but he was unsure. Would a mental hospital really be able to get the real Dan back? Or was there something bigger than that needed?  
Phil started walking around, passing his people and the police. One person caught his attention, the short man leaning against the back of a truck. In his fingers was something shiny, that he twirled around in his hand. Phil walked up to him quietly, the detective not noticing him until he spoke. "For Eren?"   
"Oh, yeah, when this is all over," Levi said.  
"He'll love it," Phil nodded, Levi doing the same. "I should get going, see you around."  
"Hey, Lester, wait," Levi called. Phil turned around and looked at him. "You know, you're really not that bad a guy," Levi told him.  
"Thanks, and neither are you," Phil answered.  
\----  
Katie took a small sip from a tiny bottle of liquor she had hidden in her coat and then took out her sword. She hadn't used it in forever, but as she moved it around the motion felt familiar. She heard footsteps behind her and sheathed the sword, turning to see who it was. Agent Norwood stood there, in a bulletproof vest and still a suit. Katie had never been able to figure out why they always wore suits.  
"Your name is Katie Simmons, right?" Norwood asked her.  
"Yep, don't wear it out," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest.  
"You are very skilled, Ms. Simmons," Norwood said. "I don't think I've ever seen someone as good at your craft."  
"Thank you," Katie nodded. "I should go get into position."  
"The FBI could use someone like you," Norwood called as she walked away. Katie turned to face him again.  
"No thanks," she rejected. "I like where I am."  
\----  
"Dan!" Alexander shouted, running quickly up the stairs. Dan had been let out of the infirmary the day before, but he was supposed to try and eat and sleep more. "We have reports of forces gathering in the woods."  
"We'll just have to shoot them down when they come at us," Dan responded, shrugging on his coat and loading up his gun.  
"I also have a question for you," Alexander said. Dan looked at him in response. "If Phil dies, can we be together?"  
"Why the fuck would you ask such a question?" Dan retorted, heading for the door of the office.  
"Because you're everything I want!" Alexander replied, following Dan. "You're powerful, lustful, and not to mention hot as hell. Together we could take over the world."  
'Take over the world? Sounds like a good deal.'  
"I told you already, I don't like in you that way," Dan argued.  
'But- but power!'  
"Come on! We could have it all!" Alexander objected.  
"No! I-"  
'Oh for crying out loud love the damn boy! He can give us everything we want!'  
Dan tried not to move, to remain rigid, but his body moved on its own. He reached out his hands and cupped them around Alexander's face, pulling him into an unexpected kiss. Alexander kissed back, but in the back of Dan's mind he was screaming at himself. But he couldn't pull away, for some reason his body was glued in place.


	50. Chapter 50

The main force of police officers headed for the main entrance. No one was on guard outside, which Phil hoped meant they weren't suspecting the attack, but it could also be Dan's battle strategy. The police moved in and from the edge of the trees Phil saw them open the door and all hell break loose. Many of the officers fell to the ground and the sound of gunfire filled the air. Memories flashed before Phil's eyes, and he squeezed them shut, trying to focus. He came to when he felt a hand on his shoulder. An empathetic face met his, and it filled him with courage.  
"We have to go," Katie urged, taking out a gun and getting ready to go. Phil nodded and looked at Joe and Katie, prepared to run to the back door of the building.   
"Now!" Phil shouted, sprinting with the two of them to the door at the backside of the building. It would let them in right under the stairs, a good vantage point to get to Dan from. Katie was the first one there and she pulled the door open, shooting two guys who stood shooting out into the warehouse. She ushered Joe and Phil inside and they hid behind a few crates conveniently set-up as perfect cover. Every now and then Katie or Joe would risk a shot over the crates and then duck back down. Katie turned to Phil who was crouched beside her.  
"Are you okay?" she asked.  
"Yeah," Phil nodded, swallowing and realizing how dry his throat was. "I have to get to Dan."  
"Run for the stairs, we'll cover you," Katie said, Phil moving to the edge of the crate line. "Okay! Go!" Katie called, and Phil sprinted for the stairs, hearing gunshots from behind him. He made it to them and started running up, Katie and Joe ducking back down behind the crates.  
"We should split up," Katie suggested, yelling a bit to be heard over the chaos.  
"Okay," Joe agreed. "But one thing before you go." He leaned over and kissed Katie quickly on the lips. "For good luck," he said and ran off to take cover elsewhere.  
Katie shook her head to bring herself down from Cloud 9. She peeked over the crates and saw an enemy a few feet away, so she jumped up and ran for it, tackling the guy and punching him in the face to knock him out. She took his larger gun and fired at the targets she could see. Amid the commotion she could hear footsteps going up the stairs and shouts of someone who sounded familiar. She ran for the staircase and burst into the side room, finding Alexander standing over Joe, who had a bloody nose and looked pathetically small next to the tall, and muscular shithead.  
"Not you," Katie whined.  
"Katie, how to see you again," Alexander greeted, not moving from where he stood.  
"The feeling's not mutual," Katie remarked. "Let him go."  
"I'd rather not," Alexander replied. "My family is pissed at me for what you and this brat did, so I'm getting revenge."  
"Not on my watch," Katie said, running at Alexander and landing a punch to his face. He stumbled backward and she kicked his legs out from under him, sending him toppling to the floor. He tried to get back up but Katie put her foot on his back to hold him down.  
"You could never beat me, no matter how hard you try," she sassed.  
"Fuck you," Alexander groaned.  
"Why do you even care so much? Did you actually like me or something?" Katie asked.  
"You hurt my pride," Alexander answered, "but I never needed you. Especially now, because I have Dan."  
"Dan? What do you mean?"  
"We slept together," Alexander said with an evil laugh. "We kissed! He loves me!"  
"In your dreams," Katie scoffed, turning him onto his back and taking out her sword. "Bye bitch." She took the sword and stabbed it into his heart, the sly look on his face turning blank as his eyes went dead.  
"Damn," Joe sighed as he walked over.  
"The prick deserved it," Katie shrugged, taking her sword out and cleaning it with her black shirt. "Come on, let's go."


	51. Chapter 51

Phil made it up the stairs and went to the office, finding Dan sitting casually on the couch. He looked up and saw Phil and stood up, smiling in a way that was simultaneously evil and kind. Behind that grin were still some remnants of the Dan that Phil fell in love with. "Hey Philly," Dan greeted.  
"I want Dan back," Phil stated.  
"I am Dan, I always was, I've just come to realize a lot of new things," Dan said.   
"No, you're not him," Phil replied, shaking his head.   
"Of course I am! And when you realize that we can have the happy life we've always wanted!"  
"We can't," Phil sighed sadly. "Not after everything that's happened. I wanted to live the rest of my life with the Dan I met when we were kids."  
"I'm still here, I swear!" Dan argued. "Please, Philly."  
"I'm sorry, Dan," Phil answered. "But I can't believe you."  
"Okay, fine," Dan said. "I'll just do this the hard way."   
Dan cracked his knuckles and began walking toward Phil with a smirk on his face. Phil raised his fists in a defensive stance, ducking as Dan swung his fist at him. Dan was fast though, and used his other hand to land a punch to Phil's side. Instinctively Phil dropped his hands to hold his side and Dan took the opportunity to punch him in the face.   
Phil staggered backward and held his nose, which was throbbing with pain. He put his fists back up and was ready when Dan came at him this time. He quickened his movement, ducking and moving away from Dan's powerful blows. Suddenly Dan kicked Phil's legs out from under each other, sending him toppling to his knees. Dan grabbed Phil by his hair and kicked him in the stomach, Phil calling out in pain. Still holding him by his dark hair Dan took a knife from inside his coat and held it at Phil's throat. He could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He knew Dan had always been holding back in training, and that's the only reason Phil ever beat him. Truthfully, Phil was no where close to matching Dan's skill.  
"You know, I really didn't want to kill you," Dan said in Phil's ear. "You would have been fun to have around, and Dan of course loved you."  
"So you admit it, then," Phil interrupted through gritted teeth. "You aren't Dan."  
"You're so clever, Phil, I see why he likes you," Dan laughed.  
"Let him go," Phil pleaded.   
"But I've just started having fun! I can't give him up!"  
"Please," Phil begged. "I want Dan back."  
"Well boohoo!" Dan yelled. "You're going to die so why do you care?"  
"I could ask you the same thing," a voice said from the doorway. They both looked up and saw Katie standing there, Joe behind her. Dan started laughing and the knife dropped lower in his grasp.   
"Finally a worthy opponent appears!" Dan exclaimed. "Too bad you're too late."  
Phil glanced down at the knife loosely held in Dan's hand, and the almost non-threatening place it was being held at. He sucked in a breath and grabbed Dan's arm, using all his strength to push him over his head. Dan landed on his back on the floor with a loud thud. Phil walked backward and stood by Katie, watching as Dan stood again.  
"I'll take care of him," Katie said, stepping forward.   
"Bring it, girly," Dan challenged, motioning for her to come closer.   
Katie ran at him, moving away from his knife as he swung it at her. She grabbed his arm when he went to jab her and twisted it, the knife falling out of his hand as he cried out in pain. Katie then kicked the back of his knee and he fell to the ground.   
He attempted to get up but Katie held him down, her smaller body somehow matching the 6-foot man in strength. Phil took out the handcuffs that were in the pocket of his coat and handed them to her. After his hands were bound Katie took out a gun and put it to Dan's head.  
"Woah what are you doing?" Phil exclaimed.  
"Relax, I'm just ending the fight," Katie replied, Phil letting out a sigh of relief. Katie pushed Dan to the balcony where they could see all that was happening below. With the gun to Dan's head she yelled out to the warehouse. "Dan Howell has been captured! The fight is over!"  
Some people cheered, others groaned. The guns of Dan's men were dropped to the floor and the police shouted the words they had committed to memory for arrests. Up the stairs came Agent Norwood himself, followed by the two detectives Phil had grown quite fond of.   
"Thank you for your help," Phil said, shaking the FBI agent's outstretched hand.   
"And thank you," he replied. "I will honor our agreement and let you keep him, but be warned, if you cause any trouble from this day on, I will not hesitate to shoot you."  
"Understood," Phil nodded, the agent turning and walking back down the stairs. Levi turned to follow, but stopped in his tracks when he saw Eren was still standing there.  
"It was nice to meet and work with you," the detective said to Phil, holding out his hand. Phil took it with a smile and shook his hand.  
"I wish it had been under different circumstances," Phil confessed, catching Levi grinning at the two of them.


	52. Chapter 52

Katie walked down the stairs to the Hideout's jail, hidden underground beneath the warehouse. At the end of the line of cells stood Phil, staring into one of them with his arms folded over his chest. Katie walked and stood beside him, observing Dan who was laying on the bench against the far wall, his hands grasped together and resting on his stomach.   
"What are you going to do with him?" Katie asked.  
"I'm going to take him on that vacation we always dreamed of," Phil responded.  
"You're going to the island I told you about?"  
"It's the only shot I've got at saving him," Phil sighed. "They got us a flight in a few hours."  
"You're leaving already?" Katie questioned.  
"I want to get there as soon as possible so we can come back and help with the new League," Phil stated. "Plus, I have this gut feeling that something bad is going to happen."  
"Well I'll be here waiting for you guys to come back," Katie said, turning to Phil and smiling. "I'm going to lead the League right, I promise you."  
"Thank you," Phil grinned. "I know you'll do great."  
The two friends opened their arms and embraced one another in a gentle, but firm hug. When they pulled apart Katie smiled up at him again and then turned to leave the jail, heading back upstairs all the way to the balcony.   
Joe stood there in all black, grinning at her as they looked down at the remaining League members. The survivors from Los Angeles were there too, now following Katie's command like those of London. Katie took a deep breath and began talking to the crowd.  
"The past months have been hard on all of us," she started. "And I know more difficulties will surely come, but we will fight them with all our strength. For years this League has existed to cause pain and to start violence, but today we start a new regime, one where we use the skills we have to do good. I know it'll be hard to change our ways, because we have been trained since we were children to kill and hurt. However, we will do good in this world, little by little we will atone for all that we have done with our bare hands.  
"Today marks the beginning of a new code, a new conduct, a new way of life. We will no longer hide because we are doing wrong, but because we don't care to be recognized for our acts of kindness. From now on we work in the shadows to help those who cannot fight themselves. We protect the weak because we are strong. We save to atone for those we killed. We stand strong and mighty in honor of those we lost, that we may do right by them.   
Because we are the League of Specially Trained Individuals."


	53. Author's Note

Thank you so much for reading this story! I love it so much and I am so proud of it!  
This however is not the end!  
There is a sequel that takes place in Los Angeles that will tie into the story so stay tuned for that!  
Thank you again for reading! Please let me know if you enjoyed it or if you have any questions!


End file.
